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PLANT CULTURE 

By GEORGE W. OLIVER. Propagator to the Bureau of Plant Industry, 
U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 

THIRD EDITION 

In this enlarged and revised edition Mr, Oliver gives the teachings 
gleaned and sifted from his experience as a practical working gardener, 
supplemented by that gained through many years in his specialty of plant 
propagating for the United States Department of Agriculture at Washington. 
He not only deals with those plants which are cultivated by the commercial 
florist, gardener and nurseryman for profit, but treats as well on the care and 
management of a diversity of other plants which are all interesting, but which 
do not generally receive the full or proper attention at the hands of authors 
of most horticultural works. Tells in language easily understood by the 
average reader the essential points in the methods of raising and caring for 



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Plants 
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Propagation by 
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:. New York 



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Suburl Improvement, 

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Soils, Domestic Animals, Dairying, Poultry, Bees, Birds, Butterflies, 
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Camping, Cook Books, and the 1001 subjects treating on life in the 
country and suburbs, send for our DESCRIPTIVE CATALOG OF 
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A. T. DE LA MARE CO. inc. 448 W. 37th St., New York ) 



COMMERCIAL 

PLANT 

PROPAGATION 



Copyright, 1918, by 
A. T. DE LA MARE CO., Inc. 

All rights reserved 




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COMMERCIAL PLANT 
PROPAGATION 



AN EXPOSITION OF THE ART 
AND SCIENCE OF INCREASING 
PLANTS AS PRACTICED BY 
THE NURSERYMAN, FLORIST 
AND GARDENER 




By 
ALFRED C. HOTTES 

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF HORTICULTURE 
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY 



NEW YORK 

A. T. DE LA MARE COMPANY, inc. 

1918 



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PREFACE 

BOOK of this kind necessarily is a record of various 
opinions covering the ways of propagating plants. It 
is not a report of a discovery or discoveries, but a com- 
pilation of methods. Men have come to realize that every 
advancement in the art or science of doing things is for the benefit 
of not only themselves but for the good of all men. 

Each book considers the subject matter from a different angle. 
This book attempts to briefly explain the art and science of in- 
creasing plants so that the florist, orchardist nursen,^man, and 
amateur plant lover may have a guide for properly increasing his 
stock. 

"There is no reason why every farmer, if he so desires, may not 
propagate all the fruits necessary for his own garden and orchard," 
writes W. L. Howard. "Such work can be done at little or no 
expense and, besides, it is pleasant and interesting." 

The author acknowledges credit to all who, through their wide 
experience, have written of plant propagation, and especially to 
Thomas Meehan and George W. Oliver, both pre-eminent in 
their fields of nursery and greenhouse propagation. Credit is due 
Dr. L. H. Bailey for crystalhzing the scattered information pub- 
Hshed in the "Nursery Book" of 1891. 

The author welcomes suggestions and advice relating to the 
subject matter of this book to the end that when a new edition 
becomes necessary it may have increasing value. . 

Alfred G. Hottes. 
Golumbus, Ohio, December, 1917. 



FEB II 1918 

©CI.A481G81 



WW, \ 




INTRODUCTORY REMARKS 

HE abiKty to grow and multiply is characteristic of all 
life. The object of the hfe of every plant is to perpetuate 
its kind. 

Flowers bloom with color and perfume in order that 
they may better produce their seeds. Plants spread their stems in 
the air and in the soil in order to dominate the earth as much as 
possible. 

-Darwin reaHzed this struggle for existence and concluded that 
every fragrance, color, spine, tuber and adaptation contributes 
toward the natural ability of the plant to hve. 

Nature eliminates the weak; overwhehning those which cannot 
stand the cold or heat, those susceptible to attacks of insect and 
fungus and those which can not compete with their neighbors in 
reproductive powers. 

Man shelters his favorites from the cold; improves their natural 
multiplication; supplies them with proper soil and the environment 
of their natural homes, places them on stronger roots and even 
crosses them to make combinations to his fancy. He produces the 
large fruits and the double flowers at the expense of seed produc- 
tion but he supplies another means of existence for the plant. 

Men have noted how through accidents the tops of plants 
become broken and root to form a new individual; how, when roots 
are cut, often a new plant grows from them; how clmnps of plants are 
broken up and each part produces a good plant; how trees rub 
against each other and are naturally grafted. Men have merely 
imitated Nature. A careful study of a plant will indicate its 
method of propagation. 

There are two considerations in the propagation of plants: 
the art, and the science. The art is the craft or ability to multiply 
plants; the science tells why each operation is done. One is the 
practice; the other the theory. Each helps the other. 

The gardener learns much from doing, but books lead him to see 
the reasons for his practice. 



CONTENTS 



Preface 4 

Introductory Remarks 5 

General Index 7-8 

Index to Plant Names 9-15 

Index to Illustrations 15-16 

Chapter I — Seeds 17 

Chapter II — Cuttings 47 

Chapter III — Bulbs, Layers, Divisions 65 

Chapter IV — Graftage 84 

Chapter V — Fruit Stocks Ill 

Chapter VI — A Few Commercial Florists' Plants 119 

Chapter VII — Herbaceous Perennials, Annuals ant) 

Bulbous Plants 139 

Chapter VIII — Tree and Shrub List 142 

Chapter IX — Book List 179 



GENERAL INDEX 



Page 

Annuals, list of 140 

sowing seeds 23, 24 

Budding, H 99 

June 100 

patch or flute 100 

shield 99 

time 97 

Bulbel 65 

Bulblets, fern 71 

Bulbs defined 65 

CaUus 51 

Cions 84 

selection of wood 89 

Conifers from seed 36 

damping-off of 37 

cuttings 58 

Cormels 74 

Corms -72 

Cuttings, evergreen 58 

Florists' list 53 

hardwood 56 

heel 58 

leaf 60 

mallet 58 

perennial 54 

potting 52 

root 63 

sand and water method for ... 52 

simple 58 

softwood 48 

temperature for 51 

Damping-off, conifers 37 

of cuttings 51 

Division, bulbs 65 

ferns 123 

perennials . *. 83 

Double working 108 

Evergreens, broad leaved, from 

seed 38 

cuttings 58 

damping-oflf of 37 

from seed 36 

Fern, Boston 124 

bulblets 125 

collecting spores 121 

division 123 

getting new varieties 123 

life history 120 

runners 124 

soil 122 

sowing 122 

tip layers 125 

top layers 125 

tubers 125 

Flats for seeds 24 

Florists' Lists, cuttings 53 

seeds 32 

Frames 57 



Page 

Germination of seeds 17, 27-29 

special treatments for 29 

Graft hybrids 87 

Grafting, bridge 94 

Cactus 109 

cleft 91 

crown 95 

limits of 87 

objects 85 

results 85 

root 91 

saddle 94 

side 93 

splice 93 

terminal bud 97 

tongue 89 

top 108 

veneer 92 

whip 89 

Grafting wax 109 

Inarching 102 

Layers, air or pot 78 

Chinese 78 

continuous 78 

mound 80 

preparing stock for 78 

serpentine or compound 77 

simple 77 

tip 77 

top of ferns 125 

Light and seeds 25 

Longevity of seeds 19 

Offsets _. 76 

Onion, multiplier 71 

potato 71 

Pedigreed stocks. 113 

Perennials, cuttings of 54 

division of 83 

list of 139 

sorts propagated by seed. . .32, 33 

sowing seed 31 

Pots for seeds 24 

Prothallus 120 

Rhizomes 80 

Runners 80 

Seed, acid treatment 30 

and light 25 

aquatic 30 

conifer 36 

depth to sow 25 

germination 17, 27-29 

Grandmother's method of sow- 
ing 26 

longevity 19-21 

not breeding true 17 

saving 41 

scalding 36 

shrub 34 

7 



8 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



Page 

Seed, soaking 29 

sowing 23, 26 

testing 21 

tree 34 

watering 27 

Seedling inarch 102 

Shrubs, from seed 34 

hardwood cuttings 56 

Summer cuttings 56 

Soil for seeds 24 

Sori 120 

Sporangia 120 

Stocks, apple Ill, 113 

apricots 113 

characteristics of good 88 

Cherry 113 

fruit Ill 

Peach 113 



Page 

Stocks, Pear 113 

pedigreed 113 

Plum 113 

Rose 131 

Suckers 76 

Temperature for seed sowing. ... 17 

Tree-seeds 34 

Tuberous roots 74 

Tubers, ferns 125 

perennials 75 

Vegetables, longevity of seed.. . . 21 

pollinating 46 

time to sow 23 

Viability of seed 18 

Wardian Case 52 

Watering seeds 27 

Wax, grafting 109 



AUTHORS CITED 



Page 

Avery, F. P 29 

Balfour, I. Bayley 59, 63 

Bailey, L. H 85 

Baltet, Charles 85, 97 

Beadle, CD 137 

Becker, William 110 

Bois, D 88 

Burpee, W. A., Co., seed sowing. 26 
Conard & Jones Co., Germination 

Table 28, 29 

Coville, F. V .172 

Craig, W. N 26 

Dreer, H. A., Inc 19-21 

Fuller, A. S 88, 161 

Galloway, B. T 138 

Good, John M. 131 

Hartley and Pierce 37 



Page 

Hatfield, T. D 27 

Hedrick, U. P 97, 113, 117 

Jenkins, J 34, 152, 158 

Lager, John E 126 

Meehan, Joseph 37, 116, 154, 

155, 159, 163, 166 

Montgomery, Alexander 134 

de Muelder, Fred 67 

Mulford, F. L 137 

Oliver, George W., 19, 31, 39, 62, 

103, 136 

Pierce and Hartley 37 

Shore, Robert * 52 

Thompson, Charles H 41 

Trillow, William 57 

Wood, Henry 95 



INDEX OF PLANT NAMES 



Page 

Abelia 142 

Abies 36, 142 

Abutilon 142 

cuttings 53 

longevity of seed .... 20 

Acacia cuttings 53 

Acalypha cuttings 53 

AcanthophcEnix 32 

Acanthus 139 

division 81 

Acer 142 

Achillea 139 

division 83 

longevity of seed 20 

root cuttings . 64 

Achimenes 141 

^leaf cuttings 61 

A!conitum 139 

Acorus 31, 139 

Acroclinium 140 

longevity of seed. ... 20 

Actaea. 139 

Actinidia 143 

Adenocarpus 143 

Adiantum 125 

Adonis 139 

brides 126 

.^sculus 143 

Agapanthus 141 

Agathsea, cuttings 53 

Agave 76 

Ageratum 140 

cuttings 53 

longevity of seed .... 20 

sowing 32 

Aglaeonema 81 

Agrostemma 139 

longevity of seeds 20 

Agrostis, longevity of 

seed 20 

Ailanthus....34, 44, 76, 143 

Ajuga 139 

cuttings 54 

Akebia 143 

cuttings 53, 57 

Albizzia 143 

Alder 143 

White 150 

AUamanda cuttings; .... 53 

Allium 141 

Allspice, Wild 144 

Chinese 149 

Almond 164 

Alnus 143 

Alocasia 58, 81 

Alonsoa 140 

Aloysia cuttings 53 

Alsophila 125 

Alstrcsmeria 141 

Alternanthera cuttings. . 53 

Althaea 57, 139, 154 

Alyssum 139 

longevity of seed 20 

time to sow 23 

Amaranthus 140 

longevity of seed 20 

Amaryllis 141 



Page 

Amelanchier 143 

Amorpha 144 

Amorphophallus 141 

Ampelopsis 144 

longevity of seed. ... 20 

Amsonia 139 

Amygdalus 164 

Ananas 76 

Anchusa 139 

longevity of seed 20 

root cuttings 64 

Andromeda 38, 57, 144 

Anemone, perennial. 64, 139 

bulbous 141 

longevity of seed .... 20 
Angelica, longevity of 

seed 21 

Anomatheca 141 

Anthemis 139 

Anthericum 76 

Antholyza. 74, 141 

Anthurium, rhizomes ... 82 

suckers 76 

Antirrhinum 140 

cuttings 54 

longevity of seed 20 

time to sow for outside 32 
time to sow for green- 
house 24 

Apios 141 

Aponogeton from seed. 31 

Apple 166 

crab Ill 

dwarf 113 

stocks, collecting seed. Ill 

sowing Ill 

Apricot 113 

Aquilegia 139 

longevity of seed 20 

Arabis 139 

cuttings 54 

longevity of seed 20 

Aralia 144 

Araucaria cuttings 53 

Arborvitae 36, 59, 171 

Arbutus 144 

Arctotis 140 

time to sow 24 

Ardisia sowing 32 

cuttings 53 

Areca 32 

Arenaria 139 

Argemone 140 

Arisaema 74, 141 

Armeria 139 

divisions 83 

longevity of seed 20 

Arnica 139 

Artemisia 83, 139 

Artichoke, Jerusalem ... 75 

Arum.. 74, 82, 141 

Arundo 139 

Asclepias 54, 139 

Ash 34, 35, 152 

Mountain 169 

Prickly 178 

Asiniina 76, 144 



Page 

Asparagus 32 

Asperula 139 

Asphodelus 139 

Aspidistra 82 

Asplenium 125 

Aster 32,44, 139 

Aster, China 140 

longevity of seed .... 20 

sowing 24 

Astilbe 141, 169 

Aubrietia 139 

Aucuba 144 

cuttings 53 

Auricula 139 

longevity of seed ..... 20 

Azalea 38, 59, 144 

Babiana . 141 

Balloon Vine 20 

Balsam 140 

longevity of seed .... 20 

time to sow 24 

Banana 76 

Baptisia. 139 

longevity of seed 20 

Barberry . . .34, 57, 145 

Bartonia, sowing 24 

Basswood 34, 171 

Batchelor's Button 23 

Bay, Loblolly 153 

Sweet. 157 

Bean, Indian 147 

Beech 34, 152 

Blue 147 

Begonia Evansiana 66 

hardy.. 66 

longevity of seed 20 

Lorraine group, cut- 
tings 53, 61 

I? ex . . 60 

semperflorens, sowing 
seed 33 

tuberous 75, 141 

Bellis 33, 139 

longevity of seed 20 

Benzoin 144 

Berberis 34, 57, 145 

Bessera 141 

Betula 145 

Bignonia 145 

Billbergia 76 

Birch 34, 145 

Blackberry, root cut- 
tings 64, 146 

seed treatment 30 

Bladder Nut 169 

Bladder Pod 156 

Bloomeria 141 

Blueberry (see Vaccin- 

iurn) 
Bocconia 139 

longevity of seed 20 

root cuttings 64 

Boltonia 54, 76, 83, 139 

Borago 139 

Boston Ivy 34, 144 

Bougainvillea cuttings. . 53 
Boussingaultia 75, 141 

9 



10 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



Page 
Bouvardia cuttings 53 

root cuttings 64 

Box Tree 146 

Brachycome 140 

longevity of seed 20 

sowing 24 

Bridal Wreath 169 

Briza, longevity of seed. 20 

Brodiaea 141 

Broom, Scotch 151 

Broussonetia 44 

Browallia 140 

longevity of seed 20 

Bryophyllum, leaf cut- 
tings 62 

Buckeye 143, 162 

Mexican 172 

Spanish 172 

Buckthorn, Common. . . 167 

gga^ _ J54 

Buddleia'. '. '. '. V.'.'3'3",'53, 146 

Buffalo Berry 169 

Bulbocodium 141 

Burning Bush 152 

Butterfly Bush 146 

Butternut 34, 155 

Button Bush 148 

Buttonwood 164 

Buxus 83, 146 

Cabomba from seed .... 31 

Cacalia 140 

longevity of seed 20 

sowing 24 

Cactus from seed 41 

Cactus, grafting. 92, 93, 109 

Caladium 141 

fancy leaf 76 

suckers 76 

tuberous roots 75 

Calanthe 126 

Calathea 82 

Calceolaria, longevity of 

seed 20 

sowing 26, 33 

Calendula 140 

longevity of seed 20 

sowing 24 

Calla 82 

Callicarpa 146 

Calliopsis, longevity of 

seed 20 

Callirhoe 139 

Calluna 38, 59, 146 

Calochortus 141 

Calophaca 146 

Caltha from seed 31 

Calycanthus . . . .57, 64, 146 

Camassia 141 

Camellia 146 

cuttings 53 

Cami)apula 139 

divisions 83 

longevity of se'ed 20 

Camphora 146 

Campsis 146 

Camptosorus 125 

Canary Bird Vine, 

longevity of seed ... 20 
Candytuft, longevity of 

seed 20 

sowing 23 



Page 

Canna 141 

from seed 29 

longevity of seed 20 

rhizomes 82 

Caragana 146 

Carludovica 33 

Carnation, cuttings ... .119 
longevity of seeds ... 20 

Carpinus 147 

Carya 147 

Caryopteris 139, 147 

Cassia 139 

longevity of seed 20 

Castanea 147 

Castanopsis 147 

Castor Bean, sowing 

time 24, 33 

Catalpa 34, 147 

Catananche 139 

Cattleya 126 

Ceanothus 147 

Cedar, Incense 157 

Japan 150 

Red 156 

white 149 

Cedrela 148 

Cedrus 36, 148 

Celosia. 140 

longevity of seed 20 

time to sow 24 

Celtis 148 

Centaurea 139 

cuttings 54 

longevity of seed 20 

time to sow 24, 33 

Centranthus 139 

Cephalanthus 148 

Cerastium 139 

cuttings 54 

longevity of seed 20 

Cerasus 164 

Ceratostigma 139 

cuttings 64 

Cercidiphyllum 44, 149 

Cercis 149 

Cereus 92 

Cerinthe 140 

Chamsecyparis . .36, 60, 149 

Chaste Tree 177 

Chelone 139 

Cherry, Japan 154 

Mahaleb 114 

mazzard 113 

ornamental 164 

Chestnut 34, 147 

Chilopsis 149 

Chimonanthus 149 

China Tree 159 

Chinese Parasol Tree . . .170 

Chinquapin 147 

Chionanthus 44 , 149 

Chionodoxa 141 

Chorizema, from cut- 
tings 53 

scalding seed 36 

Chrysanthemum 139 

cuttings 120 

longevity of seed 20 

time to sow 24 

Cimicifuga 139 



Page 
Cineraria, longevitv of 
seed 20 

sowing 33 

Cinnamomum (See Cam- 
phora) 
Cinquefoil, shrubbv .... 164 

Cistus 149 

Citrus 104. 149 

Cladrastis 64, 149 

Clarkia 140 

longevity of seed 20 

time to sow 24 

Clematis 139, 149 

internode cuttings 48 

longevity of seed 20 

Cleome 140 

longevity of seed 20 

Clerodendron 149 

Clethra 150 

Clintonia 139, 141 

Clivia 141 

Clover, Bush 157 

Cobaea, longevity of seed 20 

Cocos 33 

Codiseum cuttings 53 

Coelogyne . 126 

Coffee Tree, Ken- 
tucky 36, 153 

Coix, longevity of seed . 20 

Colchicum 74, 141 

Coleus, cuttings 53 

longevity of seed 20 

Collinsia 140 

time to sow 24 

Colutea 150 

Convallaria 83, 141 

Convolvulus, longevity 

of seed 20 

Cooperia 141 

Corchorus 156 

Coreopsis 139, 140 

longevity of seed 20 

Cork Tree 162 

Cornus 57, 150 

Coronilla 139 

root cuttings 64 

Cortaderia 139 

Corydalis 139 

Corylopsis 150 

Corylus 150 

Cosmos 140 

longevity of seed 20 

sowing 24 

Cotoneaster 59, 150 

Cotyledon 76 

Cranberry, High Bush. . 177 

Crataegus 150 

Crinum 141 

Crocosmia 141 

Crocus. '. 74, 141 

Croton, cuttings 52 

layering 78 

Crown Imperial 141 

Cryptomeria . . . .36, 59, 150 
Cucurnbers, pollinating . 46 

sowing seeds 23 

Cucumber Tree 35, 159 

Cunninghamia 60, 150 

Cupressus 59 

Currant 150, 168 

Indian 170 



INDEX OF PLANT NAMES 



11 



Page 

Custard Apple 144 

Cyathea 125 

Cycas 44 

Cyclamen, corms 74 

longevity of seed 20 

sowing 33 

Cyclophorus 123 

Cydonia 151 

Cyperus, from seed. ... 31 
longevity of seed. ... 20 

Cypress 149 

Bald.... .170 

Cypress Vine, longevity 

of seed 20 

Cypripedium 126 

Cystopteris 125 

Cytisus 59, 151 

Dahlia 141 

longevity of seed 20 

propagation 75 

twberous roots 75 

Daisy, English 28 

Michaelmas 83 

Daphne 151 

Datura 140 

longevity of seed 20 

Davallia 123 

Davidia 151 

Delphinium 24, 54, 139 

longevity of seed 20 

Dendrobium 126 

Dentaria bulbifera 71 

Desmodium gyrans 19 

Deutzia 57, 151 

Dewberry (see Blackberry) 

Dianthus 139 

longevity of seed 20 

sowing 23, 24 

Diascia 140 

Dicentra... 139 

spectabilis root cut- 

ings 64 

Dicksonia 123 

Dictamnus 139 

Dieffenbachia 58 

Diervilla 151 

Digitalis. 139 

longevity of seed 20 

Dimorphanthus 151 

Dimorphotheca 140 

longevity of seed. .... 20 

sowing 23 

Diospyros 151 

Dirca 151 

Dodecatheon 139 

root cuttings 64 

Dogwood 150 

Dolichos, longevitv of 

seed 20 

Doronicum 83, 139 

Doryopteris 125 

Draba 139 

Dracaena, layering 78 

longevity of seed 20 

propagating 52, 58 

sowing seed 33 

Dracocephalum 139 



Page 

Dracunculus 141 

Dusty Miller, sowing 

seed 33 

Easter Lily, bulb scales . 71 

from seed 39 

natural division 71 

Echinacea 139 

Echinocactus 110 

Echinocereus 110 

Echinocystis, longevity 

of seed 20 

Echinops 139 

longevity of seed 20 

Eichhornia from seed. . . 31 

El^pagnus 44, 151 

Elderberry 169 

Elm 172 

Emilia 140 

English Ivy cuttings 53 

Epimedium 139 

Epiphyllum 92 

Eranthis 141 

Eremurus 141 

Erica 38, 53 

Erigeron 139 

Eryngium 139 

longevity of seed 20 

Erysimum 140 

longevity of seed. ... 20 

Erythronium 141 

Eschscholtzia 140 

longevity of seed 20 

sowing time 24 

Eucalyptus 152 

Eucharis 141 

Euonymus 34, 152 

Eupatorium 139 

cuttings 54 

longevity of seed 20 

Euphorbia, fulgens, cut- 
tings 53 

longevity of seed 20 

root cuttings 64 

Exochorda 57, 152 

Fagus 152 

Fatsia 83 

Ficus carica 152 

Fig 152 

Filbert 150 

Fir 142 

Chinese 150 

Fittonia cuttings 53 

Five Finger 164 

Forsythia 57, 152 

Fraxinus 152 

Freesia 141 

Fringe Tree 149 

Fritillaria 141 

Fuchsia cuttings 53 

Funkia 83, 139, 141 

Furze 172 

Gaillardia 139 

longevity of seed 20 

root cuttings 64 

sowing 24 

Galanthus 141 

Galega 139 

Galium 139 

Galtonia 141 

Gardenia cuttings 53 

Garrya 44 



Page 

Gaura 139 

longevity of seed 20 

Geisshoriza 141 

Gelsemium 152 

Genista 151 

cuttings 53 

Gentiana 139 

Geranium (see Pelargon- 
ium) 
Geranium, longevity of 

seed 20 

Gerbera 44 

Gesneria 141 

leaf cuttings 62 

sowing seed 26, 33 

Geum 139 

divisions 83 

longevity of seed 20 

Giant Tree of California. 169 

Gilia 140 

time to sow 24 

Ginkgo 45, 152 

Gladiolus 141 

corms 73 

cormels 74 

Gleditsia 153 

Globe Amaranth, longev- 
ity of seed 20 

Globe Flower 156 

Gloriosa 141 

Gloxinia 141 

leaf cuttings 62 

longevity of seed 20 

sowing 26, 33 

Godetia 140 

longevity of seed 20 

sowing 24 

Gold-dust Tree 144 

Golden Bell 152 

Gomphrena 140 

longevity of seed 20 

Gooseberry.. . .80, 153, 168 

Gordonia 52, 153 

Gorse 172 

Gourd, longevity of seed. 20 

time to sow 24 

Grape 153, 177 

Oregon 159 

Grevillea, longevitv of 

seed ' 20 

sowing 33 

Gum, Blue 152 

Sour 161 

Sweet 157 

Guzmania 76 

Gymnogramma 125 

Gynerium 139 

longevity of seed 20 

Gymnocladus 19, 153 

Gypsophila 140 

longevity of seed 20 

root cuttings 64 

time to sow 24 

Haemodorum 140 

Halesia 153 

Halimodendron 153 

Hamamelis 154 

Hawthorn 34, 150 

Indian 167 

Hazelnut 1.50 

Heather 146 



12 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



Page 

HeUera 53, 59 

Helenium 140 

futtings 54 

longevity of seed 20 

Helianthus 140 

division 83 

longevity of seed 20 

rigidus, root cuttings . 64 
Helichrysum 140 

longevity of seed 20 

Heliopsis. longevity of 

seed 20 

Heliotrope, cuttings. ... 53 

longevity of seed 20 

Helipterum 140 

Hellebonis. 140, 141 

Hemerocallis 75 

Hemlock 75, 172 

Hemp Bush 177 

Hepatica 140 

Heracleum 140 

Hesperis 54, 140 

Heuchera 54, 140 

Hibiscus 154 

longevity of seed 20 

Hickory 34, 147 

Hippophae 45, 154 

Holly 154 

Hollyhock, cuttings 54 

longevity of seed 20 

sowing 23, 33 

See also Althaea 

Honeysuckle 158 

Hop Hornbeam 161 

Tree 166 

Hordeum 140 

Hornbeam 147 

Horse Chestnut 143 

Dwarf 162 

Horse Sugar 170 

Hovenia 154 

Hoya, leaf cuttings 62 

Huckleberry (see Vaccin- 

ium) 
Humulus, longevity of 

seed _. . 20 

Hunnemannia, longevity 

of seed 20 

Hyacinth, Holland 
method of notching 
and scooping bulbs. 66 
Hydrangea 154 

cuttings 53, 57 

Hymenocallis 141 

Hypericum 64, 154 

Hyssopus 140 

Iberis 140 

longevity of seed 20 

Idesia 45, 154 

Ilex... 36,45, 154 

Impatiens 20 

Imantophyllum 141 

Indian Bean 147 

Indigo Plant 155 

False 144 

Indigofera 155 

Inula 140 

Ipomoea, cuttings 54 

longevity of seed 20 

Iresine cuttings 54 



Page 

Iris, bulbous 141 

Calif ornian 141 

longevity of seed 20 

rhizomatous 141 

Ironwood 161 

Ismene 141 

Itea 155 

Ivy, Boston 34, 144 

English 53 

German 53 

Ixia... 74, 141 

Ixiolirion 141 

Japan Gooseberry, 143 

Cedar 150 

Maple 143 

Pagoda Tree 169. 

Varnish Tree 170 

Jasmine 155 

Carolina 152 

cuttings 54 

Jasminum 155 

Jerusalem Cherry 33 

June Berry 143 

Judas Tree 149 

Juglans 155 

Juniper 36, 37, 59, 156 

Kalmia 156 

Kentia 33 

Kentucky Coffee Tree, 

36, 153 

Kerria 57, 156 

White 168 

Kniphofia 141 

Kochia, longevity of 

seed.. 20 

Koelreuteria 156 

Labrador Tea 157 

Lachenalia 141 

Lagerstrcemia 157 

Lantana, cuttings 54 

longevity of seed 20 

Lapeyrousia 141 

Larch 157 

Golden 165 

Larix. 157 

Larkspur, annual, longev- 
ity of seed 20 

cuttings 54 

time to sow 24 

Lathyrus, longevity of 

seed 20 

Laurel 157 

Mountain 156 

Laurus .157 

Lavandula, longevity of 

seed _ 20 

Lavatera, longevity of 

seed 20 

Layia 140 

Leather Wood 151 

Ledum 157 

Lemon (See Orange) 

Lentil Shrub 146 

Leptosiphon, time to 

sow 24 

Lespedeza 157 

Leucojum 141 

Leucothoe 157 

Liatris 140 

longevity of seed 20 

Libocedrus 36, 60, 157 



Page 

Ligustrum 57, 157 

Lilac 57, 170 

Summer 146 

Lilyof the Valley. . .83, 141 
Lily, bulb scales 71 

Easter, from seed. ... 39 

natural division 71 

Limnanthemum from 

seed 31 

Limnocharis from seed. 31 
Linaria 140 

longevity of seed 20 

Linden 35, 171 

Lindera 144, 157 

Linum 140 

cuttings 54 

longevity of seed 20 

time to sow 24 

Liquidamber 157 

Liriodendron 157 

Lobelia 140 

cuttings 54 

longevity of seed 20 

sowing 26 

Loblolly Bay 153 

Locust 34, 168 

Honey 36, 153 

Lonicera 57, 158 

Loosestrife cuttings 54 

Lotus. 54, 140 

Ludwigia from seed. ... 31 
Lunaria, longevity of 

seed 20 

Lupinus. 140 

longevity of seed 20 

Lychnis 140 

longevity of seed 20 

Lycium 57, 158 

Lycoris 141 

Lygodium 123 

Lysimachia 140 

Lythrum 140 

longevity of seed 20 

Maackia 149 

Madura 45, 158 

Madia 140 

Magnolia 35, 158 

Mahonia 59, 159 

Maidenhair Tree 152 

Mandragora 140 

Maple.. 34,35, 142. 

flowering 142 

Maranta 83 

Marica 76 

Marigold, longevity of 
seed 20 

time to sow 23 

Marvel of Peru, longev- 
ity of seed 20 

Masdevallia 126 

Matricaria, longevity of 

seed _ 20 

Matrimony vine 158 

Matthiola 140 

longevity of seeds .... 20 
Maurandia, longevity of 

seed 20 

Meadow Sweet 169 

Medlar 159 

INIelia 159 

Ivlenispermum 140 



INDEX OF PLANT NAMES 



13 



Page 

Mentha 140 

Mentzelia 140 

Mertensia 140 

Mesembryanthemum, 

longevity of seed. . . 20 

Mespilus 159 

Metrosideros cuttings. . . 54 
Mignonette 140 

longevity of seed 20 

time to sow 24, 33 

Milla 141 

Mimosa, longevity of 

seed 20 

Mimulus. 140 

longevity of seed 20 

sowing 26 

Mina 28 

Mistletoe (see Phoraden- 

dron) 
Momordica, longevity 

of seed 20 

Moaarda 140 

root cuttings 64 

Monstera 83 

Montbretia 74, 141 

Moon Vine 54 

Mor^a 74, 141 

Morning Glory, time to 

sow 23 

Morus 45, 159 

Mulberry 159 

French 146 

Musa, longevity of seed. 20 

Muscari 141 

Myosotis 140 

longevity of seed 20 

sowing 33 

Myrica 160 

Mj-rtle, Crape 157 

Wax 160 

Nsegelia 141 

Nandina 160 

Narcissus 71, 141 

Narthecium 141 

Nasturtium 140 

longevity of seed 20 

time to sow 23 

Nectarine 160 

Nelumbium, division ... 83 

from seed 31 

Nemastylis 141 

Nemesia 140 

longevity of seed . 20 

time to sow 24 

Nemophila 140 

time to sow 24 

Nepenthes 52 

Nephrolepis 125 

Nerine 141 

Nerium 161 

cuttings 54 

Nettle Tree 148 

Neviusia 161 

New Jersey Tea 147 

Nicotiana 140 

longevity of seed 20 

Nierembergia, longevity 
_ of seed 20 

time to sow 24 



Page 

Nigella 140 

longevity of seed 20 

time to sow 24 

Ninebark 163 

Niphobolus 123 

Nolana, time to sow. ... 24 
Nymphaea, division. ... 83 

from seed 31 

Nyssa 161 

Oak 166 

Odontoglossum 126 

CEnothera 76, 83, 140 

Olea 161 

Oleander 161 

Oleaster 151 

Olive, Sweet 161 

Wild 151 

Orange 161 

Orange, Hardy 149 

Mock 163 

Osage 158 

Orchids, cuttings 126 

division 126 

seed 126 

Ornithogalum 141 

Orontium from seed ... 31 

Osmanthus 161 

Osmunda 121 

Ostrya 161 

Ouvirandra from seed . . 31 

Oxalis 66, 141 

Oxydendron 161 

Pachysandra cuttings. . . 54 

Paeonia 140 

Moutan.. 161 

root cuttings 64 

Pagoda Tree, Japan 169 

Paliurus 161 

Pancratium 141 

Pandanus 76 

Pansy, longevity of seed 20 

sowing 33 

Papaver 140 

longevity of seed 20 

root cuttings 64 

Parasol Tree, Chinese. . 170 

Parrotia 161 

Passiflora 162 

Passion Flower 162 

Paulownia 162 

Pavia 162 

Pawpaw 144 

Peaches, budding. .100, 114 

ornamental 164 

stocks 114 

Pearl Bush 152 

Pears 166 

dwarf 116 

stock 116 

Pea Tree, Siberian 146 

Pelargonium cuttings. . . 54 

Pennisetum 140 

longevity of seed 20 

Pentstemon 140 

cuttings 54 

longevity of seed 20 

Peony (see Paeonia) 
Peperomia, leaf cuttings 62 

Pepperidge 150 

Pereskia 92 

Persimmon 151 



Page 
Petunia 140 

longevity of seed 20 

time to sow 23 

Phacelia 140 

Phalaris 140 

Phellodendron. . .45, 64, 162 

Philadelphus 163 

Phlebodium 123 

Phlomis 140 

Phlox 140 

Drummondii, longev- 
ity of seed 20 

root cuttings 64 

time to sow 24 

Phoradendron 163 

Photinia 163 

Physianthus 163 

Physocarpus 163 

Physostegia 140 

longevity of seed 20 

Picea 36, 37, 163 

Pickneya 163 

Pieris -. 163 

Pine 36, 163 

Umbrella 169 

Pineapple (see Ananas) 

Pinks, cuttings 54 

Pinus 163 

Plane Tree 164 

Plantanus 164 

Platycodon 140 

longevity of seed 20 

Plum, ornamental 164 

stocks 117 

Plumbago 64. 140 

Podophyllum 140 

Poinsettia 140 

cuttings 128 

Polemonium 140 

Polygonatum 140, 141 

Polygonum 140 

rootcuttings 64 

Polystichum 125 

Pomegranate (see Punica) 
Pontederia from seed. . 31 

Poplar 164 

Poppy, longevity of seed 20 

time to sow 23, 24 

Populus 164 

Portulaca 140 

longevity of seed 20 

time to sow 24 

Potentilla. ..... 54, 140, 164 

Pride of India 159 

Primrose (see Primula) 
Primula 140 

longevity of seed. . .20, 21 

sowing 26, 33 

Privet 34, 157 

Prunus 164 

Pseudolarix 36, 165 

Pseudotsuga 36, 166 

Ptelea 166 

Pteris palmata 125 

Pterocarya 166 

Pterostyrax 166 

Pueraria, longe\dty of 

seed 21 

Punica 166 

Puschkinia 141 

Pyrus 166 



14 



GOxMAIERGIAL PLA.NT PROPAGATION 



Page 

Quercus 166 

Quince 80,151. 167 

Ranunculus, bulbous. . .141 

perennial 140 

Raphiolepis 167 

Raspberry 167 

seed treatment 30 

tip layers 77 

Red Bud 149 

Retinispora 36, 59, 167 

Rhamnus 167 

Rheum 140 

Rhodanthe 140 

longevity of seed 21 

Rhododendron 38, 167 

Rhodotynos 34, 168 

Rhus 168 

Ribes 168 

Richardia 141 

Ricinus 140 

longevity of seed 21 

Robinia 57, 64, 168 

Rock Rose 149 

Romneya 140 

root cuttings 64 

Rose of Sharon 154 

Roses from seed 129 

budding 97, 131, 138 

cuttings... .129, 130, 131 

grafting 134, 135, 136 

grafting case 134 

layers 137 

seedling inarch 106 

stocks for graftage 132 

Rubus 168 

Rudbeckia 140 

longevity of seed 21 

Sagittaria from seed.. . . 31 

St. John's Wort 154 

Salisburia (see Ginkgo) 

Salix 168 

Salpiglossis 140 

longevity of seed 21 

time to sow 24 

Salvia. 140 

cuttings 54 

longevity of seed 21 

time to sow 24, 33 

Sambucus 57, 169 

Sanguinaria 140 

Sanseveria, leaf cuttings 62 

Santolina cuttings 54 

Sanvitalia 140 

longevity of seed 21 

time to sow 24 

Saponaria 140 

longevity of seed 21 

root cuttings 64 

Sassafras 64, 76, 169 

Saxifraga 140 

Seabiosa 140 

longevity of seed 21 

time to sow 24 

Schizanthus 140 

longevity of seed 21 

time to sow 24, 33 

Sciadopitys 36, 169 

Scilla 141 

Sedum 54, 77, 83, 140 

Senecio 140 

Senna, Bladder 150 



Page 

Sequoia 169 

Shad Bush 143 

Shepherdia 169 

Sidalcea 140 

Silene 140 

Silphium 140 

Silver-bell 153 

Silver Leaf 153 

Sisyrinchium 140 

Skimmia 169 

Smilacina 141 

Smilax, longevity of seed 21 

time to sow 33 

Smoke Tree 168 

Snapdragon (see Antir- 
rhinum) 

Snowball 177 

Snowberry 170 

Snowdrop Tree 153 

Snow Wreath 161 

Solanum, longevity of 

seed 21 

time to sow 33 

Solidago 21, 140 

Sophora 169 

Sorbus 169 

Sorrel Tree 161 

Sparaxis 74, 141 

Sphaerogyne cuttings. . . 62 

Spice Bush 144 

Spindle Tree 152 

Spiraea 141, 169 

Blue 147 

Sprekelia 141 

Spruce 163 

Douglas.... 166 

Squashes, pollinating. .. 43 

Stachys 140 

Staphylea 169 

Statice 140 

longevity of seed 21 

root cuttings 64 

time to sow 24 

Stephanandra 169 

Sterculia. . ._ 170 

Stevia, cuttings 54 

longevity of seed 21 

Stewartia 170 

Stigmaphyllon 170 

Stocks 21, 140 

Stokesia. 140 

longevity of seed 21 

root cuttings 64 

Storax 170 

Strawberry 80 

Strawberry Tree 144 

Streptocarpus 62 

Stuartia 170 

Styrax 170 

Sugar Berry 148 

Sumac 168 

Sunflower, cuttings of 

perennial 54 

time to sow 24 

Swainsona cuttings 54 

Sweet Leaf 170 

Sweet Peas 140 

longevity of seed 21 

time to sow 23, 33 

treating seeds 30 



Page 
Sweet Rocket, longev- 
ity of seed 21 

Sweet shrub 146 

Sweet Sultan, time to 

sow 24 

Sweet William 29 

Sycamore 164 

Symphoricarpos. . . .57, 170 

Symplocos 170 

Syringa 57, 04, 170 

Tagetes 140 

longevity of seed 21 

Tamarack 157 

Tamarindus 170 

Tamarisk 57, 170 

Tamarix 57, 170 

Tanacetum. 140 

Taxodium 170 

Taxus 36, 171 

Tea, Labrador 157 

New Jersey 147 

Tecoma 146, 171 

Thalictrum 83, 140 

Thea _ 171 

Thermopsis 140 

root cuttings 64 

Thorn Apple 150 

Thorn, Christ's... . 161 

Thunbergia, longevity of 

seed 21 

Thujopsis . 171 

Thuya 36, 59, 171 

Tigridia 74, 141 

Tilia 171 

Tillandsia 76 

Tococa cuttings 62 

Tomatoes, time to sow.. 23 

pollinating 46 

Toothache Tree 178 

Torenia 140 

longevity of seed 21 

time to sow 24 

Torreya 172 

Tradescantia 140 

Tree of Heaven 143 

Trillium 141 

Triteleia 141 

Tritoma 141 

longevity of seed. ... 21 

Tritonia 141 

Trollius 140 

Trumpet Flower 145 

Creeper 146 

Tsuga 172 

Tuberose 66, 141 

Tulip, Holland method. 71 

Tulip Tree 35, 157 

Tunica, longevity of 

seed 21 

Tupelo 161 

Tydaa 26 

Typha from seed 31 

Ulex 172 

Ulmus 172 

Ungnadia 172 

Vaccinium 172 

Valeriana 140 

Vallota 141 

Vanda 126 

Varnish Tree 15(i 

Japan 170 



INDEX OF PLANT NAMES 



15 



Page 

Verbascum 140 

Verbena 140 

cuttings 54 

longevity of seed 21 

time to sow 24, 33 

Verbena, Lemon, cut- 
tings 54 

Veronica 140 

cuttings 54 

divisions 83 

longe\dty of seed 21 

Viburnum 34, 57, 177 

Victoria from seed 31 

Vinca, longevity of seed 21 
cuttings of V. major. . 54 
time to sow V. rosea. 33 

Viola... 140, 141 

longevity of seed 21 

time to sow 33 

Violets, improving crop. 138 

selection 138 

Viyfinia Creeper 144 



Page 
Virginia Stock, when to 

sow 24 

Vitex 177 

Vitis 177 

Wahoo 152 

Wallflower, longevity of 

seed 21 

Walnut 34 

English 155 

Winged 166 

Watsonia 74, 141 

Weigela 57 ,151 

Whitewood 157, 171 

Willow 168 

Desert 149 

Shrub 155 

Wistaria 177 

Wistaria Tree 166 

Witch Hazel 154 

Wood, Bass 34, 171 

Button 164 

Iron 161 



Page 

Leather 151 

White 157, 171 

Yellow 149 

Woodbine 144 

Xanthoceras 64, 177 

Xanthorrhiza 178 

Xeranthemum 140 

longevity of seed 21 

Xanthoxylum 178 

Yellow Root, Shrubby. . 178 

Yellow Wood 149 

Yew 171 

Stinking 172 

Yucca 140, 178 

Zantedeschia 141 

Zanthorrhiza 178 

Zanthoxylum 178 

Zephyranthes 141 

Zinnia 140 

longevity of seed 21 

when to sow 24 

Zizania from seed 31 



INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS 



Page 
Almond, Double-flowering 165 

Anthericum, Offsets of 75 

Apples (Budded) 112 

Artichoke (Jerusalem) Tuber of. 74 

Asplenium 1 24 

Begonia (Rex), leaf catting. ... 61 

Birch, Cone of 145 

Blueberry : 

New shoots on a stumped, 1 74 ; 
Tubered cutting, 175; Tubered 
cutting with sprouts rooting 
at base 176 

Budded: 

Seedling tree, 100; Apples 112 

Budding: 

Shield, 100: Sprig, 101; Patch, 
102; Patch (of Mango), 103; 
H, 103; Cherries, 115; The 

Ginkgo 153 

Buds, Cutting 99 

Bulb Farm, A Holland. .Frontispiece 
Bulblets 70 

Bulbs: 

Diagram of structure, 65; 
Easter Lily, 66; Hyacinth, 66, 
67; First stage of notched, 67; 
A notched Hyacinth, 68; A 
scooped Hyacinth 69 

Catalpa Bungei 148 

Cattleva, Rhizome of 127 



Page 

Cherries, Budding 115 

Coldframe for sowing perennials 32 
Corm: 

Gladiolus. 73; Gladiolus (from 
which tunic has been removed) 73 
Cuttings: 

T'ondition of wood for, 47; 
Chrysanthemum, 48; Dahlia, 
55; Hardwood, 56; Simple 
conifer, 58; Heel, 59; Mallet, 
60; Rex Begonia leaf, 61; 
Rooted leaf, 61; Another 
method of making leaf, 62; 
Leaf (of Peperomia), 63; Root, 
64; Two-eye Rose, 130; One- 
eye Rose 130 

Cycas revoluta: 

Male flower of, 45; female 

flower of 45 

Dahlia, Tuberous roots of 74 

Daisy-like flower, A 43 

Elm, Camperdown. . 173 

Ferns 121, 122 

Germination : 

Melon, 18; Of an EngHsh 

Walnut 156 

Ginkgo, Budding the 1 53 

Gladiolus corm 73 

From which tunic has been re- 
moved "3 

Gooseberry, Mound layer of ... . 80 



16 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



Page 
Grafting: 

Whip or tongue, 90; Whip (on 
roots), 90; Cions for cleft, 91; 
Cleft, 91; Veneer, 92; Side, 93; 
Splice (Pereskia Cactus), 94; 
Saddle, 94; Bridge, 95; Veneer 
crown, 95; Inlayed crown, 96; 
Crown (in war zone) , 97 ; Term- 
inal bud (Pine), 98; Cleft 
(Cacti), 110; Rose stock cut 
ready for, 135; Rose cion for. ,135 

Hyacinth : 

Bulbs, 66, 67: First stage of 
notched bulb, 67; A notched 

bulb, 68; A scooped bulb 69 

Inarch, Modification of 105 

Inarching 104 

Iris, German, Portion of Rhizome 81 

Layering: 

Simple, 77; Tip (a Raspberry), 
77; Air 78 

Lily (Easter) : 

From seed, 40: Bulb, 66; seed- 
ling 72 

Maple Key, A 142 

Maranta 82 

Melon Germination 18 

Mound layer of Gooseberry. ... 80 

Mulberry, Teas' Weeping 160 

Offsets of Anthericum 75 

Paulo wnia tomentosa. Seed 

vessels of 162 

Primula Sieboldii 81 

Propagating: 

Case, 49; House 50 



Page 
Rhizome: 

Portion of German Iris, 81; Of 
Cattleya 127 

Rose: 

SeedHng, 106, 107; Inarched 
seedlings, 108; Two-eye cut- 
ting, 130; One-eye cutting, 
130; Standard, 133; Stock cut 
ready for grafting, 135; Cion 
for grafting 135 

Rubus propagation 79 

Runners, Strawberry 80 

Screen for seed beds 34, 36 

Seed: 

Testing, 22; Sown in flats, 25; 
Screen for beds, 34, 36; Cone 
of Birch, 145; Ball of Sweet 
Gum, 158; Vessels of Paul- 

ownia tomentosa 162 

Seedlings: 

Pea, 18; In pot, 24; Easter 
Lily, 72; Rose, 106, 107; In- 
arched Rose 1 08 

Squash blossoms 42 

Strawberry runners 80 

Sweet Gum, Seed Ball of 158 

Tomato blossom 46 

Tuber of Jerusalem Artichoke. . 74 

Tuberous roots of Dahlia 74 

Tulip propagation 70 

Typical flower. Section of 42 

Walnut (English), Germination 

of an 156 

Yewberry, A 171 




CHAPTER I 

SEEDS 

Plants not Breeding True from Seed — Germination — Longevity — 
Testing Seeds — Time to Sow — Annuals — Soil — Pots and Flats 
— Light — Suggestions for Sowing — Depth — ■ Sowing Fine Seed — 
Firming — Watering — Time Required for Germination — Special 
Treatment — Soaking — Canna — Acid Treatment — Aquatics — 
Perennials — Florists' Seeds — Shrub — Tree — Scalding — Coni- 
fers — Damping-off Fungus — Broad leaved Evergreens — Easter 
, Lilies — Cactus — Saving Seeds — Dioecious Plants — Pollinating 
Tomatoes — Cucumbers. 

PLANTS exist in order to produce their seeds; some die imme- 
diately after finishing this process. Seeds are entire plants in 
an embryonic stage and are so micrified that the oak tree is within 
the acorn. 

The labor of seed production by a plant is trying and, when seed 
is not wanted, it is better to release the flowers from producing their 
seeds by picking the blooms as they pass their maturity. 

Good looking seed is not always indicative of their ability to 
produce superior plants from that seed. Hidden within the sexual 
constitution of the seed is the secret of its real value. 

It is the superior ancestry of the plant rather than the individual 
value of a single seed which counts. Baldwin Apples may produce 
good seed but they do not produce good Baldwin Apples. Many 
of the poor relation parents show up when the seeds are sown. In 
the same manner seeds from the blue Lobelias will often produce 
progeny with varying hues of blue flowers. Such hybrid plants 
whose parentage is much compHcated and whose characteristics 
are not fixed must be propagated by other methods. 

THE GERMINATION OF SEEDS 

Whether a seed sprouts or not depends on four factors: water, 
air, heat and viabihty, or, the abihty to five. Each seed has its 
proper or optimum moisture, atmospheric and temperature re- 
quirements. For example, Mistletoe seed will germinate on the 
trunks of trees where the conditions are often very dry. For seed 
germination ordinary outdoor flowers require a temperature of 
from 50° to 70°, conservatory plants 60° to 80°, and tropical 
or stove plants from 75° to 95°. 

17 



18 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



The viability of 
a seed depends up- 
on a great number 
of factors. Seeds 
if immature when 
gathered are not 
so viable; they 
will germinate 
better immediate- 
ly after picking 
than when stored 
for some time. 
Pansy seeds ma- 
ture in such a 
way that only 
some of the seeds 
are perfectly ripe 
at one time. The 
best seed is hand- 
picked. 

Frequently 
seeds are affected 
with insects or 
diseases; this will 
retard germina- 
tion or make it 
impossible. The 
age of seeds is also 

important because every seed has a certain period of longevity. 

In some cases seeds must be sown immediately after ripening, 

else they do not start. Some seeds, such as those of Cucumbers, 

are better when two or three years old. 




Fig. 1. — Pea seedlings 





Fig. 2. — Melon germination. Note the knob on the root which catches the 
seed coat, holding it under the surface of the soil 



SEEDS 19 

LONGEVITY OF SEEDS 

Regarding the longevity of seeds, H. A. Dreer, Inc., write: 

'It has to be understood that in a favorable season and with 
perfect harvesting conditions, seeds of all sorts are Uable to be of 
much stronger germination than they would in an unfavorable 
season, particularly if the conditions at the time of harvesting are 
not just right. The longevity of many seeds is materially increased 
because they are now grown in this country, particularly in CaU- 
fornia, where the conditions for their best development are nearly 
ideal. 

The life of seeds is no doubt considerably influenced by the con- 
ditions under which they are kept over from one year to another. We 
believe that the proper conditions are a cool, airy place where the 
bags or receptacles in which the seeds are kept may be spread out, 
so that the air can circulate around them. This was tested out 
some years ago by the United States Department of Agriculture, 
and the result of their investigations seemed to show that seeds kept 
best under the same conditions that are preferred by most human 
beings. In other words a temperature of somewhere between 
sixty and seventy-five degrees is about right." 

Commenting on longevity of seeds, Geo. W. Oliver writes: 
"Instances are common where seeds of various plants have ger- 
minated many years after they were gathered. Seeds of several 
leguminous genera have been known to remain in good condition 
for a number of years. 

Among these are several which are well authenticated, notably 
Desmodium gyrans, which has been known to remain in good condi- 
tion for twenty-five years, and Gymnocladus canadensis, ^hichh^as, 
germinated after a long time in storage. Some of the tropical tree 
legumes have seeds which lose their vitality only after many 
years when kept dry and cool. Some seeds are pecuhar in 
that they sometimes develop only the cotyledons and the 
roots the first season. One or two species of Ipomoea have this 
pecuharity. 

A well known instance of this nature also occurs in one or more 
of the conomon Oaks. The seeds of the Coffee plant develop the 
cotyledons which sometimes remain in this condition for several 
months before true leaves are developed." 

Three Cassia seeds are known to have germinated when 85 
years old. It is doubtful whether the wheat seed found several 
years ago in the pyramids of Egyt were as old as was claimed, 
and if so, it is hardly to be believed that they grew. 



20 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



LONGEVITY OF FLOWER SEEDS IN YEARS 

(Derived mainly from data furnished by H. A. Dreer, Inc.) 



Abutilon 3-1 

Achillea 3 

Acroclmium 2-3 

Ageratum 2-3 

Agrostemma 3-4 

Agrostis nebulosa.2-3 

Alyssum 2-3 

Amaranthus 3-4 

Ampelopsis 1 

Anchusa 2 

Anemone 2 

Antirrhinum 3-4 

Aqiiilegia 2 

Arabis 2-3 

Armeria 2 

Asters, China. . . .2-3 

perennial 1-2 

Auricula 2 

Balloon Vine 3-4 

Balsam 6-8 

Baptisia 3-4 

Begonia 2 

BeUis 2-3 

Bocconia 1 

Brachycome 3 

Briza maxima. . . . 2-3 

Browalha 2-3 

Cacaha 2 

Calceolaria 2-3 

Calendula 3-4 

CaUiopsis 2-3 

Campanula 2-3 

Canary Bird Vine. 3-4 

Candytuft 2-3 

Canna 3-4 

Carnation 3-4 

Cassia 2-3 

Celosia 4-5 

Centaurea 2 

Cerastimn 2 

Chrysanthemum.. 3-4 

Cineraria 3-4 

Clarkia 2-3 

Clematis panicu- 

lata 1 

Cleome 2-3 

Cobaea 1-2 

Coix 2-3 

Coleus 2 

Convolvulus 3-4 



Coreopsis 2 

Cosmos 2-3 

Cyclamen 2 

Cypress Vine 3-4 

Cvperus 1 

Dahlia 2 

Datura 3-4 

Delphinium 2 

Dianthus 3-4 

Digitahs 2 

Dimorphotheca . . 2 

Dolichos 3-4 

Dracaena 1 

Echinocystis 4-5 

Echinops 2 

Er\Tigium 2-3 

Erysimum 3-4 

Eschscholtzia. ... 2 

Eupatoriuni 2 

Euphorbia 3-4 

Ferns 3-4 

Gaillardia 2 

Gaura 2-3 

Geranium 3 

Geum 2 

Globe Amaranth . 2-3 

Gloxinia 2-3 

Godetia 2-3 

Gomphrena 2-3 

Gourds 5-6 

GreviUea 1 

Gynerium 2-3 

Gypsophila 2 

Helenium 3-4 

Hehanthus 2-4 

HeUchrysum 2-3 

HeHopsis 2-3 

Hehotrope 1 

Hibiscus 3-4 

Hollyhock 4-5 

Humulus 1 

Hunnemannia. ... 2 

Iberis 2-3 

Impatiens 5-6 

Ipomoea 3-4 

Iris 2 

Kochia 2 

Lantana 1 

Larkspur — Annual 

3-4 



Lathyrus latifolius 

3-4 

Lavandula 2 

Lavatera 3-4 

Liatris 2 

Linaria cymbalaria 2 

Linum 5-6 

Lobelia cardinalis.2-3 
Lobeha erinus . . .3-4 

Lunaria 3-4 

Lupinus 3-4 

Lychnis 2-3 

Lythrum 2 

Marigold 3-4 

Marvel of Peru . . 2-3 

Matricaria 2 

Matthiola 3-4 

Maurandia 2 

Mesembryanthe- 

mum 3-4 

Mignonette 2-4 

Mimosa 2-3 

Mimulus 3-4 

Momordica 4-5 

Musa 34-M 

Myosotis 2 

Nasturtium 3-4 

Nemesia 2 

Nicotiana 3-4 

Nierembergia . ... 3 

Nigella 2 

Pansy 2-3 

Papaver bractea- 

tum 3-4 

Pennisetum 2-3 

Pentstemon 2 

Petunia 3-4 

Phlox Drummondii 
1-2 

Physostegia 2 

Platycodon 2-3 

Poppy 3-4 

Portulaca 3-4 

Primula chinensis. 2 

elatior 2 

Forbesii 2 

japonica 3^ 

kewensis 2 

malacoides .... 2 
obconica 1 



SEEDS 



21 



LONGEVITY OF FLOWER SEEDS IN YEARS — Continued 



Primula polyanthus 2 

vulgaris 2 

Pueraria 3-4 

Rhodanthe 2-3 

Ricinus 3 

Rudbeckia 2 

Salpiglossis 4-5 

Salvia 2 

Sanvitalia 2 

Saponaria 2 

Scabiosa 2-3 



Schizanthus 2-3 

Sruilax 2-3 

Solanuni 4-5 

Solidago 2 

Statice 1-2 

Stevia 2-3 

Stocks 4-5 

Stokesia 2 

Sweet Peas 3-4 

Sweet Rocket. . . . 3-4 
Tagetes 3-4 



Thunbergia 2 

Torenia 2-3 

Tritoma 1 

Tunica 2-3 

Verbena 2-3 

Veronica 2-3 

Vinca 1-2 

Viola 1-2 

Wallflower 5-6 

Xeranthemum ... 2 
Zinnia 3-4 



LONGEVITY OF VEGETABLE SEEDS 

(Revised from Yilmorin) 



Angelica 2-3 

Barley 3 

Beans 3-8 

Beets — garden . 6-10 

sugar 6 

Broccoli 5-10 

Buckwheat 2 

Cabbage 5-10 

Carrot 4-5 

Cauliflower 5-10 

Celery 8 

Clover, red 3 

Corn 2 

Cucumber 10 

Egg-Plant 6 

Endive 10 

Flax 2 



Grass, jVIillet 2 

Orchard 2 

Timothy 2 

Kohl-Rabi 5-8 

Leek 3-9 

Lettuce 5-9 

Maize 2-4 

Mustard 4-9 

Oats 3 

Okra 5 

Onion 2-7 

Parsley 3-9 

Parsnip 2-4 

Pea 3-8 

Pepper 4-7 

Pumpkin 5-9 

Radish 5-10 



Rape 5 

Rhubarb 3-8 

Rosemary 4 

Rye 2 

Sage 3-7 

Salsify 2-8 

Sea Kale 1-7 

Soy Bean 2 

Spinach 5-7 

Squash 6-10 

Strawberry 3-6 

Tomato 4-7 

Turnip 5-10 

Thyme 3-7 

Watermelon . . . .6-10 

Wheat 2 

Wormwood 4-6 



TESTING SEEDS 



A federal law now^ in force prohibits the importation of adul- 
terated seeds of most of our grasses, besides Alfalfa, Clover and 
many cereals. W^eed seeds as w^ell as seeds of lower commercial 
value are considered adulterations. The United States Depart- 
ment of Agriculture is doing much to enforce disseminating good 
seeds and will test any doubtful samples that may be sent to 
them. Each grower may test for impurity and adulterations by 
using a small hand-lens. 



22 COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 

Much labor and space are frequently wasted by misjudging the 
value of seeds. The best test takes into consideration not only the 
percentage of germination but the growth during a whole season 
as well as the amount of impurity. 

For the germination test, a soup plate may be conveniently 
used (see fig. 3). Circles of canton flannel or blotting paper are cut 
to fit the plate. By dividing the cloth into four divisions, four 
varieties of seed may be tested at one time. Either ten or twenty- 
five of the seeds to be tested are counted and placed upon the cloth 
which is moistened. The dish is then covered with another plate 
to prevent drying. Day by day the number of seeds in each 
division that germinate should be counted. If 50 per cent 
germinate the seeds must be sown twice as thickly. 

Before using the cloth for a second test it should be boiled to kill 
molds which will interfere with the results. 

Large seed testers may be purchased, which have space for 
many kinds of seeds, with which the temperature and moisture 
can be perfectly regulated. 

Most reliable seedsmen conduct thorough tests of their seeds; 
not only germination tests but tests of varieties growing them on 
test gardens located in various latitudes. Many firms print a state- 
ment of the percentage of germination upon each seed package. 







C D 

Fig. 3. — Seed testing. A, A soup plate. B, The piece of canton flannel. C, Canton 
flannel in plate with seeds in each division. D, The plate covered by another onel 



SEEDS 



23 



TIME TO SOW SEEDS 

It is highly important that seeds be sown in season so that the 
plants may mature at the proper date for their use or sale. 

ANNUALS 

Annuals are plants which make their entire growth in one season, 
usually producing their bloom and seed before the frost. In the 
hst following are certain annuals which will stand much cold and 
may be sown in the open soil as soon as it can be worked ; those 
marked with an asterisk (*) are best sown in flats under glass in 
late March and later transplanted and sold in small boxes or pots. 
Plants marked with a dagger (f) are not easily transplanted; they 
are sown where they should bloom. Plants marked (z) are sown also 
in June for a later or second crop. The earlier sown annuals are: 



Beet 

Cabbage *z 
Carrot 

Cauliflower *z 
Celery z 



Vegetables 



Kale 

Kohl-Rabi 

Leek 

Lettuce 

Onions 



Parsley* 

Parsnip 

Peat 

Radisht 

Salsify 



Spinach; also in 

Autumn 
Swiss Chard 
Turnip 



Alyssum* 
Bachelor's But- 
ton 
Candytuft* 



Flowers 



Dianthus* 
Dimorphotheca 
Hollyhock 
Marigold* 



Morning Glory f Sweet Peas, may 

Nasturtium* be sown near 

Petunia* Easter; being 

Poppy t early, t 



Certain other flower seeds may be sown at this time but it is 
best to start them in the coldframe or greenhouse because the growth 
is slow in the cold soil. 

The following annuals are not sown in the open ground until dan- 
ger of frost is passed. The plants marked with an asterisk (*) and 
intended for sale, benefit by being sown in flats under glass in March. 
Plants marked with a dagger (f) are not easily transplanted. 



Beans, Bush, 
Lima and pole 
sorts t 



Vegetables 

Cornf Melon t Okra 

Cucumber t New Zealand Pepper* 

Egg-Plant* Spinach Pumpkin f 

Tomato* 



24 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



ANNUALS — Concluded 
Flowers 



Antirrhinum* 

Arctotis 

Balsam 

Bartoniat 

Brachycome* 

Cacalia 

Calendula* 

Castor Bean* 

Celosia 

Centaurea* 

China Aster* 

Chrysanthemum 



Clarkia 

CoUinsia 

Cosmos* 

Dianthus* 

Eschscholtzia f 

Gaillardia 

Giha 

Godetia* 

Gourds t 

Gypsophila 

Larkspur* 

Leptosiphon 



Linum 
Mexican 

Poppyt 
Mignonette t 
Nemesia 
Nemophila 
Nierembergia 
NigeUa 
Nolana 
Phlox* 
Portulaca 
Salpiglossis* 



Salvia 

Sanvitalia* 

Scabiosa 

Schizanthus* 

Statice 

Sunflower 

Sweet Sultan 

Torenia* 

Verbena* 

Virginia Stock 

Zinnia* 



SOIL FOR SEED SOWING 



Soil for sowing seed must always be finely pulverized and in the 
best physical condition. A sandy loam suits most seeds the best. Soils 
which are too heavy should be hghtened by the addition of sand 
or even coal ashes. It always pays to use the best soil for starting 
the seedhngs and if this is not available, where the plants are to 
grow permanently, the seed may be sown in a good place and trans- 
planted later. 

Seed beds, if in the proper physical condition, need no manure. 
The young seedhngs are not able to take up much food. In fact, 
much humus or organic matter may be actually detrimental to the 
seeds, even hastening disease. 



POTS AND FLATS FOR SOWING SEEDS 

When a limited quantity of 
plants are wanted, flower pots (see 
fig. 4) may be used for seed sowing. 
Broken pottery and ashes should fill 
the pot half full. The remainder 
should consist of finely-sifted soil. 
Where it is desired to sow a larger 
quantity of seeds, wooden flats (see 
fig. 5) will be found more useful. 
Do not make them much over twelve 
by eighteen inches, and three to four 
inches deep. Larger flats are cumbersome and when used for more 
than one kind of seed, are hardly ever as serviceable because of the 
uneven germination. The flats should also be_ lined with some 
sort of roughage for good drainage. 




Fig. 4. 



-Seedlings in pot covered by 
pane of glass 



SEEDS 



25 



The soil must be perfectly level and slightly compacted. Make 
the rows from one inch to two inches apart, according to the seed, 
and sow the seeds usually from one-quarter inch to an inch apart, 
according to the variety. Seeds which are sown too thickly are sure 
to cause spindhng plants which are difficult to transplant. Only 
sow seeds requiring like conditions for germination in the same 
flats. For example: Sweet Alyssum sown in the same flat with 
Cockscomb is unsuccessful; the Alyssum will be ready for trans- 
planting before the Cockscomb is above the soil. 




Fig. 5. — Seeds sown in flats (See page 24) 
LIGHT AND SEEDS 

Most seeds do not prefer light while germinating. In fact. 
Larkspur, Adonis and Poppies are somewhat deterred in germina- 
tion by bright conditions. It is usually customary, therefore, to 
afford some shade to seed beds or pots. Out of doors such shade 
is supplied by lath screens; indoors, newspapers placed over the 
pots and seed boxes will be serviceable. 



SUGGESTIONS FOR SEED SOWING 

Plant in rows. It would seem best to sow most seeds in rows or 
drills rather than broadcast. (See fig. 5.) By this method they 
are easily cultivated for the removal of weeds, at the same time 
transplanting can be more simply done. 



DEPTHS OF SEED PLANTING 



Deep planting is a common blunder and a great cause of failure. 
The supply of oxygen is cut ofl" from the seeds and if the seedlings- 
are small, difficulties are encountered in trying to push up the heavy 
clod above. 



^2(5 COMMERCIA.L PLANT PROPAGATION 

The majority of larger seeds should be covered about two or 
three times their diameter, but in the case of outdoor sown seeds 
much depends upon the time of the year they are sown. 

FIRM THE SOIL 

In order to bring the moist soil into contact with the seeds, 
the soil should be firmed over the rows by slight pressure of the 
hands or with a hoe. In sowing seeds out of doors late in Summer, 
this is especially necessary because the soil to some extent, has 
lost its moisture. 

SOWING VERY FINE SEEDS 

An excellent method of getting the best results from very small 
seeds is to use a mixture of leaf mold and loam and cover with a thin 
layer of sifted sphagnum moss. The seeds are sown on the sphag- 
num and are not covered with soil. A pane of glass is placed over 
the pot. By this method plenty of moisture is available for good 
germination, but later the watering must be diminished. 

Such seeds as those of Petunias, Salpiglossis, Ornamental 
Tobacco, Begonias, Thyme, Gloxinia, Gesneria, Tydaea, LobeHa, 
Mimulus and Calceolaria, may be sown in this manner. The water 
should be supplied from below by placing the pot in a pail of water. 

When the sphagnum moss is not used, W. N. Craig* suggests 
cutting a piece of tissue paper and laying it over the surface of 
the soil and watering over this. The paper keeps the seeds from 
washing to the side of the pot and prevents the soil from drying out. 
The paper decays readily and allows the seedhngs to push through 
it. For young seedlings to become dry for a few hours in the hot 
sun would be fatal and if too much moisture is available there is 
danger of decay. 

"There is an old-fashioned method f of seed sowing specially 
applicable for seeds which are slow in germinating, such as Primulas 
and Streptocarpus, though it is also an ideal plan for all fine seeds, 
including Begonias, and as the writer first saw it in operation many 
years ago in an old lady's window, he designates it Grandmother's 
Method of Seed Sowing. 

It is simplicity itself, while results are almost certain. 

One and one-half inches of fine soil is placed on top of an ordinary 
building brick, pressing the soil fairly firm. Sow the seed thinly, and 
very fine seed must only be slightly pressed into the soil, or covered 

* Craig, W. N. Seed Sowing Suggestions. From Trans, of Mass. Hort. Society, Part I, 

1917, p. 20 
t Suggestions for Seed Sowing, published by W. Atlee Burpee & Co. 



SEEDS 27 

not more than one-sixteenth of an inch. The brick is then placed in 
a large plate, or flat, containing one inch or so of water, which will 
keep the brick and soil continually moist, thus ehminating the danger 
of washing out the seed or of the soil becoming dust dry, as so often 
happens when using pots or boxes. 

It is well, however, to guard against overwatering; therefore, if 
the soil at times appears to be too wet, remove the brick from the 
water for a few hours until it partly dries out." 

WATERING 

Great care should be exercised in watering, not only because the 
seed may be washed out of the drills, but excess water may cause 
the spread of the damping-off fungus. This disease is especially 
bsnd when the seedhngs lack air. Small dribblings applied fre- 
quently, rather than proper appUcations of water at needed intervals, 
cause the formation of a crust which will interfere with the ease 
of germination; later it will cause an unbalanced and shallow root 
system. 

TIME REQUIRED FOR GERMINATION 

Seeds vary greatly in the number of days required for germina- 
tion. Many gardeners make a grave blunder by discarding a seed 
bed before an opportunity has been given the seed to come up under 
normal conditions. As new seeds will often germinate more 
rapidly than older ones, when old and new seeds are mixed the seed- 
lings may continue to germinate for weeks. 

Many of the first seedlings of florists' flowers are the strongest 
and the poorest in floral quality. The gardener is careful to save 
the later and more puny seedlings, for they are often the doubles 
and the finer or newer colors. This is especially true of Petunias 
and Primroses. T.D. Hatfieldf writes: "Among Rhododendrons 
the first in a batch to bloom are always the strongest growers and 
the poorest in flower." 

Refer to the following table for the number of days required 
for germination of flower seeds: 

Number of Days Required For Germination. 

Days Days Days 

Abutilon 20 Ageratum 5 Aquilegia 15 

Acroclinium 15 Alyssum 5 Arctotis grandis ... 20 

African Golden Ampelopsis 15 Asparagus 30 

Daisy 15 Anchusa 20 Asters 8 

Agapanthus 20 Anemone, St. Brigidlo Asters, Perennial . . 15 

Agathaea coelestis. . .20 Antirrhinum 20 Baby's Breath 20 



t Hatfield, T. D. Methods Used in Propagation of Plants. From Trans, of Mass. 
Hort. Soc, 1916, p. 100. 



28 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



NUMBER OF DAYS REQUIRED FOR GERMINATION — Continued 



Days 

Ball of Fire 16 

Bachelor's Button . . *5 

Balloon Vine 25 

Balsams 10 

Begonias 15 

Bellis perennis 5 

Boston Ivy 15 

Blanket Flower 20 

Blue-eyed Daisy. ... 20 
Blue Day Flower. . . 20 

Blue Salvia *15 

Brachycome 8 

Brazilian Morning 

Glory 8 

Browallia. 20 

Brugmansia arboreal 5 
BushEschscholtzia. 8 

Butterfly Pea 15 

Cactus 30 

Calendula 10 

California Poppy ... 8 

Campanula 8 

Canary-bird Flower. * 

Candytuft 5 

Cannas *15 

Canterbury Bells. .*15 
Cardinal Climber. . . 5 

Carnations 8 

Carnations, Per- 
ennial 8 

Castor Beans 15 

Celosia 20 

Centaurea *5 

Centrosema 15 

Chinese Bellflower. .30 
Christmas Orchid 

Flower 20 

Chrysanthemums. . . 5 

Cigar Plant *8 

Cineraria 5 

Clematis, Tuber- 
ous *30 

Cleome pungens. ... 20 
Cobaea scandens. ... 15 

Cockscomb 20 

Coix lachryma * 

Coleus 20 

Columbine 15 

Commelina 10 

Coreopsis 20 

Cornflower Aster ... * 

Cosmos 5 

Crimson Flax 8 

Cuphea *8 

Cyclamen 25 



Days 
Cyperus alterni- 

folius 25 

Cypress Vine 5 

Dahlias 5 

Daisies 20 

Daturas 15 

Delphinium 15 

Dianthus 5 

Digitalis 20 

Dimorphotheca 15 

Dolichos 15 

Dusty Miller *5 

Echinocystis *30 

English Double 

Daisy 5 

Eschscholtzia 5 

Euphorbia 20 

Evening Primrose . . 5 
Everlasting Flowers. * 

Feverfew 20 

Fire-Cracker Plant.. *8 
Fire-on-the-Moun- 

tain 20 

Forgetmenot 15 

Four O'clock 5 

Foxglove 20 

Fuchsia *30 

Gaillardia 20 

Geraniums 20 

Gloxinia 15 

Godetia 15 

Gourds 15 

Grass Seed * 

Gypsophila 20 

Helianthus 15 

Helichrysum 5 

Heliotrope 15 

Heuchera sanguinea20 

Hibiscus *15 

Hollyhocks 5 

Hop, Japanese 15 

Horn of Plenty 15 

Humble Plant 8 

Hunnemannia 8 

Hyacinth Bean, 

Japanese 15 

Ice Plant *5 

Impatiens Sultani. . 15 

Ipomceas 5 

Iris *50 

Ivies * 

Jack-and-the-Bean- 

stalk 15 

Japanese Bean 15 

Japanese Hop 15 



Days 

Japan Iris *50 

Jerusalem Cherry . *20 

Job's Tears * 

Kenilworth Ivy. ... 5 
Kochia scoparia. ... 15 

Kudzu Vine 15 

Lantana 15 

Larkspur 15 

Lathyrus 25 

Lavender 20' 

Lemon Verbena. ... 8 

Linaria 5 

Linum 8 

Lobelias 8 

Love-in-a-Mist 8 

Lychnis 2(> 

Mallow Marvels.. *15 

Marigold 5 

Marvel of Peru. ... 5 

Maurandia *25 

Mexican Fire Plant . 20 
Mesembryanthe- 

mum *5 

Mignonette 5 

Mimosa 8 

Mimulus 8 

Mina lobata 5 

Mirabilis 5 

Monkey Flower .... 20 

Moonvines 20 

Morning Glory 5 

Mountain Honey- 
suckle 20 

Mourning Bride. ... 20 

Musk Plant 20 

Nasturtium, Dwarf 

Tall 8 

Nicotiana 20 

Nigella 8 

CEnothera 5 

Ornamental Grasses * 

Ostrich-Plume 20 

Oxalis 20 

Palm 15 

Painted Tongue .... 5 

Pansies 8 

Passion Flower 50 

Peas", Sweet 15 

Pelargoniums 20 

Pentstemon 20 

Perennial Peas 25 

Petunias 20 

Pheasant-Eye Pink . 5 

Phlox 20 

Pinks 5 



* Indicates an indefinite number of days. 



SEEDS 



29 



NUMBER OF DAYS REQUIRED FOR GERMINATION — Concluded 



Days 

Platycodon *30 

Poppies 20 

Portulaca 20 

Primroses *15 

Primulas *15 

Pueraria Thiiu- 

bergiana 15 

Ragged Robin 20 

Ricinus 15 

Rose * 

Rose, Moss 20 

Salpiglossis 5 

Salvia *15 

Scabiosa 20 

Sc^let Runner 8 

Scarlet Sage *lo 



Days 

Schizanthus 20 

Sensitive Plant 20 

Shasta Daisj- 20 

Smilax 15 

Snapdragon 20 

Solanum *20 

Spider Plant 20 

Stocks 5 

Stokesia * 

Straw Flower 5 

Summer Bush Cy- 
press 15 

Sunflower 15 

Sun Plant 20 

Swan River Daisy . . 8 
Sweet Peas 15 



Days 

Sweet Sultan *5 

Sweet Wilham 10 

Ten- Weeks Stocks. . 5 

Umbrella Plant 25 

Verbena 8 

Vinca * 

Violas * 

Violets * 

Wallflower 5 

Water Lilies * 

Wedding Bells 15 

Wild Cucumber 

Vine *30 

Youth and Old Age . 5 

Yucca * 

Zinnias 5 



From the Catalog of Conard & Jones Co., West Grove, Pa. 



* Indicates an indefinite number of days. 



SPECIAL TREATMENTS FOR GERMINATION 

Certain seeds germinate very slowly when left to the ordinary 
methods of treatment. For example, in sowing seeds of Parsley 
and Celery the rows should be covered with burlap which will con- 
serve the moisture and hasten germination. 

SOAKING SEEDS 

Garden seeds, especially Beans, Peas, Beets, Squash, Cucumbers, 
Celery, Parsley, and Parsnips, are soaked in water. Such soaking 
should only be continued until the seed coats are softened; further 
soaking injures the seeds, causing them to decay when sown in 
the moist soil. Proper soaking hastens germination and is beneficial, 
but it is better not to soak them at all than to allow them to 
remain in water too long. 



CANNA SEED 

Canna seed is as hard as shot. F. P. Avery describes an ex- 
perience with starting seed. He says: "March 22d I received some 
seed. I have access to an emery wheel, and I ground down to the 
white meat on every seed. That same evening I poured hot water 
on them, and kept them in hot water until the evening of March 
27th, giving the seeds a five days' bath. I found four seeds showing 



30 COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 

a white germ the size of a pin-head. I put the lot in a big dish of 
sand, covering them about an inch. The dish stood in a hot place 
over a stove, where the seeds luxuriated in bottom heat and had 
hot sunshine. Fifteen days after I put the seeds to soak there were 
more than two hundred plants, averaging two inches in height." 
Instead of using an emery wheel, the seeds are frequently nicked 
with a file. 

ACID AND ALKALI TREATMENTS 

The bony covered seeds are frequently treated with weak acids 
which serve to soften the seed coat. If Raspberry or Blackberry 
seeds are soaked in vinegar their germination will be hastened. 
Sweet Peas are treated with sulphuric acid, commercial strength, 
for half an hour, then thoroughly washed. Old seeds or those with 
a very hard coat will frequently germinate after this treatment 
when they would not otherwise. In the Agricultural News of Bar- 
badoes. West Indies, we read: "If seeds are treated with chlorine 
water (two drops of chlorine to GO c.c. of water) and then stood in 
the sun, they will germinate completely in six hours. The seeds 
must be removed from the chlorine water, and washed, however, 
directly the radicle appears. Chlorine has a decomposing effect 
on water in the presence of hght, breaking it up into hydrogen and 
oxygen, and the rapid germination is due to the action of the nascent 
oxygen liberated by the chlorine. Hard seeds need a prehminary 
soaking in water before steeping them in chlorine solution. Alka- 
line substances, e. g., ammonia, soda, etc., in highly dilute solution, 
also aid the process of germination. 

Another curious method consists in watering the seeds with a 
solution of formic acid (1 in 5000) at a temperature of 25° to 30° G. 
This treatment dissolves the integument, and plants which normally 
require eight or ten days will germinate in as many hours. 

In some experiments carried out last year in France, and de- 
scribed in Le Jardin, seeds of Radishes and other Cruciferae were 
made to germinate in less than eight minutes by plunging them in 
hot water, and then laying them between rags soaked in boihng 
water in a small flower pot nearly filled with moist earth, and kept 
at a warm temperature." 

AQUATICS FROM SEED 

Certain seeds of aquatic plants when not kept in water must be 
artificially treated by acid or nicking. Sow each seed in a separate 
thumb pot, submerging the pots in tanks of warm water. Many 



SEEDS 31 

of the sorts, if started in early Spring, flower the first year. Seeds 
of the following water plants should be treated as suggested: 
Acorus (Sweet Flag), Aponogeton (includes Ouvirandra, the Lace 
Leaf), Cabomba (Prince's Feather), Caltha (Marsh Marigold), 
Cyperus (Sedges and Umbrella Palm Grass), Eichhornia (Water 
Hyacinth), Limnanthemum (Floating Heart), Limnocharis (Water 
Poppy), Ludwigia, Nelumbium (Egyptian Lotus), Nymphaea (Pond 
Lily), Orontium (Golden Club), Pontederia (Pickerel Weed), Sagit- 
taria (Arrowhead), Typha (Cattail) and Zizania (Water Oats). 

Many of these seeds may be sown in larger pots as other per- 
ennials but they should be submerged. 

Geo. W. OKver writes: "Seeds of the Gigantic Water Lily, 
Victoria regia, should be sown in February in the warmest house. 
The-water must be clean and free from the lower forms of aquatic 
growth. The seeds should be sown in thumb pots, one to a pot. 
The first leaves of the seedhng Victoria are grass-like, then halberd- 
shaped, but eventually assume the peltate form. In Washington 
when properly grown the leaves of the seedhng should be 12 inches 
in diameter by the 10th of May. 

Many attempts to grow this, the queen of Water Lifies, are frus- 
trated because the young plants are taken from a warm temperature 
and placed in water out of doors, the temperature of which is much 
below that of the hothouse. To grow the Victoria successfully the 
receptacle for the plant should be large enough to hold at least 
several cartloads of rich soil and hold a good sized frame and sash 
on top of the soil. The water in the frame by this device will be 
kept warm and the young plants will develop rapidly by this treat- 
ment. When the plant has made a start the frame and sash are 
removed. 

Subsequent attempts to grow this queen of aquatics without 
the protecting frame always resulted in poorly developed plants. 
When a good flower of the Victoria opens about Midsummer or later 
save some of the pollen from it and dust it over the stigmas of the 
succeeding flowers. This will result in the ripening of many seeds. 

The size of this plant, the first one grown in Washington, was 
much larger than any other plant grown out of doors in this country, 
the diameter being 6 ft. 6 inches. During the following Summer 
the frame was discarded and the result was a much smaller Victoria." 

SOWING SEEDS OF PERENNIAL FLOWERS 

For sowing the seeds of perennial flowers, coldframes are used. 
The seeds are sown in rows about six inches apart. After sowing, the 
frames should be watered and the soil mulched with cut grass or a 



32 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



layer of finely sifted, well decayed, manure. This mulch will serve 
to keep the soil from drying out, thus preventing the formation of 
a crust over the seeds. If the manure is used it will supply the 
seedlings with food. 

Many perennials bloom the fost year from seed; these may be 
sown in early Spring (see list p. 139). The other sorts, of which 
plants are wanted for the succeeding year but which are not expected 
to bloom during the current season, are sown in July or August. 
The late sown perennials will be just germinating during the hot, 
dry season; moisture must be supplied and some kind of screen 
(see figs. 7 and 8) used to shade the bed, especially, when the seed- 
lings are very small. 

The seedlings when transplanted may be placed in 2 inch or 
inch pots or they may be planted in frames (see fig. 6). If 
the rows are planted 5 inches apart ample room for their growth is 
available by removing, from alternate rows, the plants for Fall or 
early Spring sale. Some of the perennials remaining in the frames 
may be left to bloom as the rows will then be 10 inches apart. 



^^3^2 




Fig. 6. — Coldframe for sowing perennials. The first and second sections are provided 
with sashes, the third has a lath screen for shade and the fourth is covered with a 
straw mat for Winter protection 



florists' seed time table 

Acanthophoenix. Many remain two years before germination. 70°. 

Ageratum. February. In flats. 

Annuals, half hardy for bedding. March. Sown in flats or pots. 

Hardy. April, or later out of doors. 
Antirrhinum. February and March for outdoor plants; April for 

Winter bloom. 
Ardisia. Early Spring. 

Areca lutescens. January or when seed can be procured. 75° to 80". 
Asparagus. February or any time. Sow in flats. 
Asters. March or April. Coldframe. 



SEEDS 33 

florists' seed time table — Continuedj^ 

Begonia semperflorens. January and Febru£iry in flats or pots; use 

leaf mold in the soil. 
Bellis. August. In coldframe. Give shade until seedlings are well up. 
Buddleia. February cuttings are preferred. 
Calceolaria. January and February or June. (See p. 26.) 
Carludovica. Same as Kentia. 

Castor Bean. April and May. Sow each seed in separate pot. 
Centaurea. January and February. Use flats and light soil. 
Cineraria, First sowing, May. 

Second sowing, August 15. 

Last sowing, September 15. (See p. 26.) 
Cocos Weddelliana. January. In flats. 

Cyclamen. July to January. Use leaf mold and light soil. Flats. 
Dr£(^aena indivisa. February. Sandy soil. 65°. 
Dusty Miller. January to March. Light soil. 
English Daisy. (See BeUis.) 
Gesneria. January. (See p. 26.) 

Gloxinia. January to February. In flats. (See p. 26.) 
GreviUea. December to March. In flats. 
HoUyhock. July. Flats. 

Jerusalem Cherry. January to March. In flats. 
Kentia. July. In greenhouse. 75° to 80°. 
Mignonette. March to April, in pots in greenhouse; April to May, in 

field; August, for Winter forcing. 
Myosotis. August 15. In coldframe. 
Pansy. iVugust 1-10. In coldframe. 

Perennials. May to August. In flats or coldframe. (See pp. 30 and 139.) 
Primroses, obconica (early and second sowing). Early sowing, March. 
Second, in May. 

chinensis. April. 

malacoides. June. 
Sal\ia. February. In flats. 
Schizanthus. September to November. 
Smilax. February to April. In flats. 
Solanum. February. In flats. 

Sweet Peas. According to Dr. A. C. Beal, who has given extensive 
study to the Winter-flowering Sweet Peas, seed sown: 
August 20 blooms Christmas 



September 1 . 

September 15 

October 

November 

December 

January 

February 

March 

Verbena. February. In flats. 

Vinca rosea. Late August. Sow in frame; or sow in December indoors. 

Winter indoors in flats or pot in 2-in. pots. 
Violas, bedding. August. In coldframe. 



January 

Main crop February 

March 

Latter part of March 

April 

Aprfl to May 

From ]VIay on 

May and June 



34 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



SHRUB AND TREE SEEDS 

When the fruits of many of the berried or juicy fruited shrubs are 
thoroughly ripened, they should be gathered and placed so that the 
mass of berries may ferment. This will allow the pulp to be washed 
from the seeds. 

In this group we are especially thinking of the Hawthorn, 
Kegel's Privet, Rhodotypos, Roses, Barberries, Boston Ivy, Euo- 
nymus and Viburnums. The seeds are often sown immediately in 
flats, placed in coldframes and in many cases are subjected to the 
Winter freezings which will soften and crack their seed coats. Some 
growers prefer to wait until February before subjecting the seeds to 
the frost. This method is known as stratification. 

Sand is frequently used instead of soil as the material in which 
to sow the seeds. When the ground can be worked in the Spring 
the seeds are sifted from the sand and sown in rows. If planting 
is delayed the seeds will have sprouted and will suffer injury by 
handling. 

Maples, Ailanthus, Birch, Catalpa, Chestnut, Beech, Ash, 
Hickory, Butternut, Locust, Black Walnut, and Basswood should 
be stratified. Besides these trees, the seeds for raising stocks of 
Apples, Cherries, Peaches and Plums are also subjected to the frost. 

Jenkins in the "Art of Propagation" gives excellent notes on the 
practice of raising trees from seed. He writes: "As a general rule, 
forest trees, and many other seeds, should be planted in the Fall 
soon after they ripen, or, if reserved for Spring planting, should be 
mixed with earth, moss, leaves, or other material, to prevent 
drying; imitating, in a measure, the conditions and protection as 
observed in nature. 

For seeds of the nut-bearing tree class, as Acorns, Chestnut, 
Hickory, black and white Walnut, the open field, if of mellow, rich 
soil, makes a good and sufficient seed bed. 




Fig. 7. — An excellent method of having a screen which can be rolled over the 
seedlings in a coldframe 



SEEDS 35 

After the ground is thoroughly cultivated, mark out with a plow 
as for Corn or Potatoes, planting the seeds closely in the light 
furrows or drills. 

The drills may be made at any convenient distance. If cul- 
tivated with a hoe they need be but a foot apart; but, unless 
cramped for room, they had better be sown in broader drills, and the 
drills three or four feet apart, so that the space between them may 
be stirred with the horse hoe or cultivator. 

If the planting is done in the Fall, it is better to mulch the 
ground with straw, leaves, marsh-hay, or any like material; this will 
prevent baking of the soil after the Spring rains, and keep it in a 
nice mellow condition. The mulching should be removed in the 
Spring, or, at least so much that it will not interfere with the 
growth of the young seedhngs. 

The smaller seeds, such as Maple, White Ash, Tuhp, Linden, 
Magnolia, etc., require greater care in planting. 

Let the soil be thoroughly pulverized, then throw up into beds 
a few feet wide, and any desirable length. Mark out and plant 
in drills by placing a board across the bed, making the drill along 
the edge of the board with a sharpened stick, or, with the corner 
of the hoe; then sow the seed in the drill as you would Peas, or Beet 
seed ; cover hghtly, and then turn forward the board for a new drill. 
The width of the board regulates the distance apart of the drills, and 
as such seedhngs are not usually allowed to grow more than one year 
before transplanting, the board need not be more than eight or ten 
inches wide. Mulch with straw^ if planted in the Fall, removing the 
same in the Spring. 

Gathering of Tree Seeds. Seeds of the nut-bearing trees are 
easily gathered, but with Maple and other small seeds, gathering 
from the ground is exceedingly tiresome. Many of the small seeds, 
when fully ripe, may be shaken from the tree on large sheets of 
canvas spread underneath. 

With Maples, if the tree can be spared it may be cut down when 
the seed is nearly ripe and first begins to fall. They can be rapidly 
stripped from the branches by hand. On small trees they may 
often be gathered from the branches without cutting the tree. In 
gathering, after they have fallen on the ground, the leaves must 
first be raked off, and the seed gathered up mainly by hand picking. 

Tuhp seed is gathered when the cones first begin to open. The 
cones, which are made up of seeds, are usually picked from the tree 
by an active chmber. Our northern Magnolia acuminata seed 
grows in pods, closely resembhng a young green Cucumber; hence 
the name, Cucumber Tree. These pods may be gathered after they 



36 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



have turned a red or pink color, and begin to open, showing the red 
seeds. Spread them out in the air after they are gathered. In a 
few days the seed is readily shelled out." 



SCALDING SEEDS 



Seeds which are not affected by freezing are frequently scalded. 
Boihng water is poured over them and allowed to cool. This 
process is used with Honey Locust, the Kentucky Coffee Tree and 
Ghorizema. 



CONIFERS FROM SEED 

Few American nurserymen grow Evergreen seedhngs. More 
profit is usually gained by importing them from countries where 
labor is cheaper and the chmate is more generally suited to them. 
There is, however, a real need for the small nurseryman to sow a few 
flats of certain kinds. Evergreen seeds may be sown in the green- 
house in the Autumn which w ill make a larger plant by the following 
Autumn than those sown out of doors. Such seedlings should be 
transplanted either in small pots or flats. 

The greenhouse may be shaded during the Summer, in which 
case the seedlings may be kept indoors during the Summer. Lath- 
sheds or frames covered with 
lath or cloth screens (see figs. 
7 and 8), will also be useful. 
During the Winter a protection 
of partially decayed leaves 
should be given. The following 
Spring the seedhngs may be set 
in the field or kept in the 
frames for another year. 

When the seeds are sown in 
seed beds rather than in the 
greenhouse, the beds are best 
covered with burlap to retain 
moisture and keep out animal 
pests. 




Fig. 8. — Convenient shading for young 
seedlings, especially shrub and evergreens. 
Note that frame is hinged so that it can 
be turned back when watering or caring 
for the plants 



The following conifers are grown from seed: 



Abies 


Cryptomeria 


Picea 


Retinispora 


Biota 


Juniper 


Pine 


Sciadopitys 


Gedrus 


Larix 


Pseudolarix 


Taxus 


Chameecyparis 


Libocedrus 


Pseudotsuga 


Thuya 



SEEDS 37 

In raising seedlings of Picea pungens, the Colorado Blue Spruce, 
many of the plants are not of the desired deep blue. These must be 
discarded because even from the best plants the seed does not come 
perfectly true. 

In sowing seeds of Juniperus virginiana, the Red Cedar, Joseph 
Meehan writes that the best success is obtained when "seeds were 
planted in the Fall, twelve months after being gathered. When 
planted in early Spring, eighteen months after being gathered, there 
always seemed to be a big loss. I have for three years in succession 
sowed one part in Fall and the other part in early Spring. The seeds 
were all the same and all stratified in the same manner, but the Fall 
sown were always far the better. In the main, this agrees with 
what is known of Juniper, Holly and other seeds in what refers to its 
taking a year for the seeds to be in the ground before germinating, 
but the point that it is better to sow in the Autumn rather than in 
Spring is not well known, and this will be of value to those who 
have such seeds to sow. 

The best plan to follow is to procure the seeds as soon as ripe, 
mix them with fine soil and place outdoors, letting them remain until 
the following Autumn. Then separate the seeds from the soil, if 
possible; if not, sow all as it is. The next Spring should see the 
seedhngs appear. There is no use in sowing at once as soon as 
gathered, as some do. This means a w ait of a year for the seedlings, 
and, in the meantime, the waste of the ground for a year and the 
loss of time in keeping the bed free from weeds has to be considered." 

DAMPING- OFF OF CONIFER SEEDLINGS 

Many seedhngs of conifers are killed by the damping-off fungus 
even before they make their appearance above the seed bed. Poor 
germinations are frequently due to this cause rather than to inferior 
seed. Evergreen seed ranges from fifty cents a pound for yellow 
Pine to two or four dollars for the native Spruces and five to ten 
dollars for Norway Pine. 

Useful facts are given by Hartley and Pierce in "Professional 
Paper No. 453" of the United States Department of Agriculture. 

Following is the summary of the 32-page bulletin devoted to 
this topic: 

(1) By damping-ofi* is meant the kiUing of very young seedlings 
by parasitic fungi. It is the most serious difficulty encountered in 
raising coniferous seedhngs. 

(2) To decrease losses from the disease excessive moisture and 
shade should be avoided. Caution must be used in following this 



38 COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 

recommendation or many seedlings may be killed by drought or 
by white-spot injury to the base of the stem. Damping-off can 
often be decreased by putting beds on very sandy soil. Seed should 
not be sown any thicker than necessary. It appears better to sow 
broadcast than in drills. Late Fall sowing results in decreased 
losses at some nurseries and is worth trial. Proper attention to all 
of these measures will decrease the losses from damping-off, but 
at most nurseries they are not sufficient really to control the disease. 

(3) The addition of hme, wood ashes, and in some cases nitro- 
genous fertihzers seems to increase damping-off. Soil alkalinity 
appears to favor the disease. No effect has been noted from green 
manures. The use of unrotted stable manure has had very bad 
results; properly rotted manures seem less objectionable. Tank- 
age, charcoal, and cane sugar are the only nondisinfectant sub- 
stances which have to date given any hope of disease control. 

(4) Soil disinfection has so far proved the best method of combat- 
ing damping-off. Of many methods tested, treatments with 
sulphuric acid, copper sulphate, zinc chlorid, and formaldehyde 
have proved the most satisfactory. The disinfectants, however, 
behave quite differently at different nurseries. The acid has on 
the whole given the best results. Heat disinfection has been only 
partly effective. Disinfection by acid or copper sulphate is cheaper 
than by the other methods commonly recommended. 

(5) In addition to decreasing damping-off after the seedlings 
come up, the chemical disinfectants above mentioned, when properly 
used, cause an increase in the apparent germination and are very 
helpful in controlUng weeds. This latter effect alone at some 
nurseries pays the entire expense of the treatment. Sulphuric acid 
has, furthermore, at some places resulted in marked increases in the 
late season growth of Pines. 

(6) In some soils formaldehyde kills dormant seed, and the other 
three most satisfactory disinfectants at some nurseries kill the root 
tips of germinating seedlings. By proper precaution, all such 
injury may be prevented. 

(7) The results obtained to date show that it is entirely possible 
and practicable to control damping-off by soil disinfection. Un- 
fortunately, the varying behavior of disinfectants at different places 
renders it impossible to recommend any single treatment which 
will be everywhere successful. 

BROAD LEAVED EVERGREENS 

Rhododendrons, Kalmias, Andromedas, Callunas, Ericas and 
Azaleas are best sown in a mixture of peat and sandy loam over 



SEEDS 39 

which is placed a thin layer of screened sphagnum moss. The seed 
is sown over the moss and covered by glass. Give a temperature 
of about 55 degrees. 

When they attain some size they are transplanted to frames 
out of doors and in the Winter given a shading and protection. 

EASTER LILIES FROM SEEDS 

Geo. W. OHver, of the United States Department of Agri- 
culture, who has conducted many experiments upon raising Easter 
Lihes from seed, writes as follows: 

"Seeds of the Easter Lily are not for sale by any of the seedsmen 
so far as known, therefore it must be produced as wanted by the 
gro\fer. This is not attended by any serious difficulty, provided 
the grower knows what to do at the proper time. The plants 
selected as seed bearers should be strong and absolutely free from 
disease. This condition will be indicated by the absence of dis- 
coloration of any kind on the fohage. 

To produce seeds of the best quahty the mother bulbs should 
be planted out in beds, where they are less hable to be neglected 
in watering. It is preferable not to use the pollen on its own 
stigmas but on the stigmas of a separate plant. Several hundred 
good seeds may be secured from each plant. All of the flowers on 
a plant will set seeds if the stigmas are polHnated, but three or four 
capsules to a good sized plant will give larger and better filled seed 
capsules and make stronger seedlings. 

The seed should be sown during August in boxes. Allow three 
leaves to develop before putting the seedHngs in two-inch pots 
then shift to three-inch when they have five or more leaves. By 
the middle of February they should be put in five inch pots and 
placed in an open frame as soon as the weather permits. Those 
which show signs of flowering in May should be thrown out. During 
August the strong plants should be in seven inch pots. 

When cool weather sets in, the sashes should be put on, giving 
air as they require it. These plants should be at their best by 
Easter. If everything goes well most of the plants should give 
from 25 to over 30 flowers per plant (see figs. 9 and 39). The 
highest number we have secured on one plant was 37. If liquid 
manure be given occasionally the flowers will be much larger than 
those produced by the foreign grown seedling bulbs. 

The results arising from the use of American field-grown bulbs 
of the Easter Lily are npt always as satisfactory as they should be. 
It has been the practice of bulb growers to burn the candle at both 



40 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 




Fig. 9.— Easter Lily grown from seed. The photograph was taken seventeen months 
from seed sowing (See page 39) 



SEEDS 41 

ends; that is, to dispose of the flowers and, later on, the bulbs. In 
order that the field-grown flowers may command good prices it 
is necessary to cut considerable length of stem and leaves along with 
the flowers. The consequence is that the bulbs do not mature 
as well as they would if the leaves were left on the plant until 
the maturity of the bulb, and the result of this practice is always 
unsatisfactory. 

If the seedHng method is given a fair trial the Lily will pay 
handsomely. I understand the seedling bulbs grown in Japan are 
always disbudded to give strength to the bulb. But in so far as I 
have seen this is not always the case in Bermuda." 

CACTUS FROM SEED 

l^ost Cactus seed is very fertile but few growers have known how 
to have the best conditions for germination and growth. Chas. H. 
Thompson* has determined the proper method. 

The best soil consists of equal parts of a well decayed sod and 
pure sand. The soil should not be rich in humus because this is 
a medium for germs of decay. Four-inch pots are used. They 
should either be new or else carefully burned or sterilized, otherwise 
Algae will choke out the young seedlings. The drain hole at the 
bottom of the pot should be enlarged and the pot filled one-fourth 
full of finely broken pots, on which the soil is carefully placed and 
pressed Kghtly. 

The seeds are sown and covered with a very thin layer of soil 
upon which is spread a one-fourth inch layer of gravel. The gravel 
will serve to keep the soil from washing, facihtates the passage of 
moist air and by shading prevents the surface soil from drying. 
When the seedhngs grow they force their way through the gravel 
and for some time appear small and globular. They are tender,^ 
juicy and readily damp-off". The temperature should be about 
70 degrees. Transplant into flats of same soil when several spines 
have formed on the plants. 

SAVING SEED FROM DESIRABLE PLANTS 

The normal flower of a plant must have at least two parts, the 
male part (see fig. 10), or the stamens which are the pollen bearers, 
and the female part, or the pistil which has an ovary at its base 
and will bear the seeds. A flower may have brightly colored petals, 
but these are not necessary for seed production. 

* Thompson, Chas. H. Ornamental Cacti; Their Culture and Decorative Value. 
U. S. Dept. of Agr. Bur. of Plant Industry, Bulletin 262. 



42 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 




Fig. 10. — Section of typical flower. P, Petal, all the petals taken together is the 
corolla. S, Sepal, the sepals taken together is the calyx. ST, Stamen, the male 
part of the flower; AN, the pollen producing part or anther; FI, the filament or 
thread-like portion. PI, Pistil, the female part of the flower. STI, its sticky stigma 
which receives the pollen; O, the ovary which bears the seeds. R, Receptacle, a 
portion often making part of a fruit (See page 41) 




Fig. 11. — Squash blossoms. A, The female flower; note the bulge beneath the corolla; 

this is the undeveloped Squash. B, The male fiower. All such plants as Melons, 

Cucumbers, Goards and Pumpkins Lear these sorts of flowers (See page 43) 



SEEDS 



43 



For every seed which grows in a seed pod there must have been a 
pollen grain upon the pistil. In the Orchid where thousands of 
seeds are produced, thousands of pollen grains must have lodged 
upon the pistil. 

Some plants do not need to be crossed or polUnated; as an 
example, Beans, Sweet Peas and such flowers are so constituted that 
the pollen is shed on the pistil and seed is formed. In the Cucumbers 
and Squashes certain flowers are male and others are female (see 
fig. 11). No seed is produced unless a bee or a man places some 
pollen from the male flower upon the pistil of the female. In other 
words, the flowers which some persons have called sterile flowers 
in the Cucumber are just as essential as the other flowers. In the 
Corn plant the pollen is produced by the tassel and falls on the silks; 
any* silk which does not receive a grain of pollen fails to produce a 
kernel of corn. 

When the grower notices a particularly superior plant, let us 
say a fine Cyclamen of good colors and excellent habit of plant, 
the best method to use is to take pollen from one flower on the 
plant and place it on the pistil of another. It is best not to depend 
on its producing seed without pollinating. Pollination may be 





Fig. 12. — A Daisy- like flower. A, A head of pot Marigold. Note that this is not a 
single flower, but a bunch of small florets, the showy sorts at the outside are ray 
florets; those toward the center are tubular and called disc florets. The ray florets 
are often only female flowers, but the disc florets are bisexual. . B, A ray floret. Note 
the two forked stigma of the pistil, the single petal and the large ovary. C, A disc 
floret. Note the feathery stigma of the pistil; the ring of stamens surrounding the 
pistil, and the five parted corolla (See page 44) 



44 COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 

carried on with a camel's hair brush, or the whole flower may be 
picked and shaken over the other flower. 

Better results will be attained by most persons if the above 
method is used rather than trying to cross two difl'erent plants. 
Crossing diverse plants will give surprising results, but they are not 
always commercial. Hybridizing is a difl'erent process from saving 
seed of a known good variety. The good variety may, frequently, 
be intensified by crossing it upon itself or upon another flower on the 
same plant. 

In saving seeds of Asters, Cinerarias, Gerberas, Calendula, 
Cosmos, Ageratum and all the Daisy-like flowers, merely place a 
bag over the flower and it will ripen its seed without crossing. Each 
Daisy-like flower (see fig. 12) is really a bunch of small flowers which 
will shed pollen upon each other. 

Do not make the mistake of saving seeds of Lettuce, Radishes 
or Celery from any plant which goes to seed too rapidly. It is apt 
to inherit this quality. The fact that the Radish often seeds so 
rapidly is due to its not producing a good root. We grow" Radishes 
for the root, not the seed. 

Seed should thoroughly mature before gathering and must be 
kept rather cool in storage. 

DIOECIOUS PLANTS 

The following plants have the two sexes on separate plants. 
Unless both sorts of plants are in close proximity no seeds nor 
fruits are produced. Plants of this sort are called dioecious. 

AiLANTHUs. Male flowers have objectionable odor; only female trees 
should be propagated. 

Broussonetia. Male plants produce flowers in pendulous catkins, 
greenish in color; female plants produce the flowers in globular 
heads, showing purplish hairs untU August, when the surface becomes 
dotted with orange pustules a quarter of an inch long. 

GERcmiPHYLLUM. Both male and female flowers are very small: 
inconspicuous. The female tree is more beautiful, being very 
spreading; the male is columnar, according to F. Canning. 

Chionanthus. Only certain plants bear fruits. 

Cycas. The male flower is a cone-like structure; female flowers 
are clusters of modified leaves (see figs. 13 and 14). 

El iE A. GNUS. Certain bushes are sterile, although the flowers bear 
both sexes. 

Garrya elliptiga. Greenish white male catkins; ornamental. Black 
berries are also showy. 



SEEDS 



45 



DIOECIOUS PLANTS — Concluded 




Shepherdia. Plant both 
male and female plants 
for fruit. 

Skimmia. Flowers are of- 
ten dioecious. 

Zanthoxylum. There is 
little difference in the 
ornamental value of 
male and female trees . 



Fig. 14. — -Female flower of Cycas revoluta. 

The ovules are borne in the notches of the 

deeply cut, modified leaves 



Ginkgo. Male trees only should be propa- 
gated; female fruits smell badly. 

HiPPOPHAE. Without both sexes planted 
together, the beautiful fruit display is lost. 

Idesia. Flowers are greenish yellow; fra- 
grant. Male flowers Y2 inch across; the 
female flowers ^ inch. Fruit in Septem- 
ber. Orange red and very showy when 
leaves are gone. 

Ilex. Holly. In some Hollies the flowers 
are fertile; in others, plants of both sexes 
are necessary if berries are to be formed. 

Maclura. (Toxylon) The sterile flowers are 
in racemes, the fertile are crowded in a large 
spherical head. 

MoRus. UsuaUy monoecious; both sorts of 
flowers in catkins. 




Phellodendron 
conspicuous, 
and hangs through the Winter 



Flowers greenish and in- Fig. 13. — Male 



flower of 
but the fruit is berry-like ^^^^^ revoluta.. Globular 



pollen sacs are found on the 
lower side of each scale 



46 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



POLLINATING TOMATOES 



In the Tomato the stamens are in a ring (see fig. 15) surrounding 
the pistil which protrudes beyond it. In the bright sunshine, the 
blossoms open, the stamens ripen their pollen and shed it. It is 
a simple process to use some sort of small wooden spoon which 
is held beneath the flower. Tap the flower with the other hand, 

the pollen will be shed into the spoon; 
the pistil is then carefully dipped into 
the pollen. 

When Tomatoes are forced, artificial 
pollination of this sort is necessary. The 
worker goes through the house about noon 
and pollinates all flowers which are open. 
If the Tomatoes are being grown during 
the Winter it will be found that on sunny 
days more pollen is produced. On these 
bright days the pollen should be put in a 
small glass bottle and used during the 
sunless period ; pollen will keep, in a bottle 
hghtly corked, for several weeks. In the Springtime hand polhna- 
tion is not necessary if the vines are vigorously shaken. 

Certain varieties may be poUinated by the shghtest jar of the 
vines. Bonny Best rarely requires hand pollination except in the 
dullest weather. 




Fig. 15. — Tomato blossom. 

Note the ring of stamens 

surrounding the pistil 



POLLINATION OF CUCUMBERS 



Hand pollination of Cucumbers is a laborious process so that 
bees are often used for the purpose. C. W. Waid advises a strong 
hive to a half acre of Cucumbers. The bees are often restless when 
first placed in the house, but soon become quite at home. 






CHAPTER II 



CUTTINGS 



Soft Wood — What Wood to Use — Medium for Rooting — Inserting 
Cuttings — Temperature — Damping - off — Callus — Monocoty- 
ledonous Plants — Sand and Water Method — Wardian Case — 
Florists' List — Perennials — Hard Wood — Summer Cuttings of 
^ Shrubs — Greenhouse — Frames — Large Stem Conservatory 
Plants — Evergreen — Leaf — Root. 




Fig. 16.-— Condition of wood for cuttings. Note that 
in making soft wood cuttings certain portions of the 
stem are brittle and break with a snap; this is the 
best part to use. Wood that is hard and stringy does 
not root as readily (See page 4S) 



CUTTINGS OR SLIPS 

ANY part which has 
been severed from 
a plant is a cutting and 
if we were clever enough 
any portion of a plant 
should produce a new 
individual. If we knew 
the method, Maple 
leaves could be made to 
root. At the present 
time sHps or cuttings 
from the stems of plants 
is the simplest method, 
although root cuttings 
and leaf cuttings may 
be made. 

The European notion 
of a florists' cutting is 
that a cutting is a thor- 
oughly established young 
plant. American growers 
have disappointed their 
foreign neighbors by 
sending them merely an 
unrooted sHp. 

47 



48 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 




Fi} 



Fig. 17A. — Chrysanthemum cutting. This is untrimmed as cut from the plant 
. 17B. — Chrysanthemum cutting. The two lower leaves are removed to reduce 



the loss of moisture from the cutting. Note that the cut at the base of the cutting is 
through an eye, or node; it is, therefore, called a node cutting (See page 120) 



SOFT WOOD CUTTINGS 

Cuttings or slips are taken of most commercial plants because 
this is a rapid method of propagation; besides, the variety is propa- 
gated perfectly true, a dependence which can not be placed on 
growing stock from seeds. Favorable stem, leaf and flower char- 
acters are perpetuated exactly as in the parent plant. Some plants 
produce no seed; these must be propagated by some other means, 
such as cuttings. 



WOOD TO USE 

The wood should be brittle, not stringy ; when bent it should snap, 
not bend. (See fig. 16.) If too immature the cuttings damp-off 
readily; if too old, the slips are slow to root. The best material 
is the first one to three inches of the tips of the shoots. Two or 
more eyes should be found on each slip. The cut should prefer- 
ably be made through an eye at the base, although many plants will 
root from cuttings made at other points than an eye, or node. 
Clematis roots better when cut at an internode The growth 



CUTTINGS 



49 



activity is considered to be greater at the nodes and rooting should 
be more sure. The cutting will have no roots to supply the 
food and water to the leaves, so that most of them should be re- 
moved or much shortened. It wiU be the food stored in the 
stem and remaining leaves which will produce the new roots. 

Some propagators argue that the leaves should not be removed, 
because the lower leaves aid in the manufacture of food and 
they as well as the stem may root. By retaining the leaves 
the cutting is saved the heahng of the wounds necessarily made. 
For some species it will be best to remove most of the leaves, and 
for others it will not be advisable to disturb them in any way. 

Most amateurs blunder by wishing a large plant at the start and 
do not shorten the cuttings enough. In other words, too long a 
cutting will be difficult to root and may make an unshapely plant. 
N^ver allow flower buds to remain on the cutting; they will only 
exhaust the vitahty. 

As soon as the cuttings are made they should be dropped into 
a pail of water or wrapped in moist paper to keep them fresh. They 
should not be kept in the water too long, however, else the bark 
will be loosened. From time to time, as sufficient cuttings are made, 
they should be placed in the cutting bench. 



Glass 




Fig. 18. — Propagating case. Shows cuttings inserted in the sand of a propagating 
case. The glass at the top confines the air. Such a case is useful in propagating 

many conservatory plants 



50 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



MEDIUM FOR ROOTING CUTTINGS 

Coarse sand, free from all organic matter, has proved to be the 
best material for using in the rooting of cuttings. The sand fur- 
nishes good drainage, but at the same time it allows for a free passage 
of water up from below. To eliminate dangers from diseases the 
sand is usually sterilized. 




Fig. 19. — A propagation house. The roof should be shaded. The benches are boarded 
in below to retain the heat, an advantage in maintaining a higher temperature in the 
sand than in the atmosphere. The sash-covered center benches may be used for 
propagating such plants as require a confined atmosphere. By building up the benches 
and covering with glass, this house could be used for grafting Roses 



Before inserting the cuttings the sand should be thoroughly 
watered and tamped, or pounded hard with a wooden mallet or 
brick. 

INSERTING CUTTINGS 



By the use of a straight edge and a large, heavy knife, a groove 
is cut into the sand. Cuttings are inserted and firmed tightly. 
The commercial method is to place all the cuttings in the rows first, 
then, with the fingers, the sand is compacted about them. The 
straight edge is then placed along the rows and several raps of the 
mallet will serve to further set them firmly. Unless cuttings are 
so treated the air will get into the sand, and the base of the cutting 
will dry. After setting the cuttings, water them thoroughly and 
cover with newspapers or a cheesecloth screen. 



CUTTINGS 51 

TEMPERATURE FOR ROOTING CUTTINGS 

To induce root action rather than top growth, it is agreed that 
there should be some sort of bottom heat; that is, the temperature 
of the sand should preferably be greater than that of the air. In 
greenhouses this is attained by running several pipes under the 
cutting benches. For Summer rooting out of doors hotbeds may 
be used and fresh and fermenting manure employed as the source 
of heat. The florist and nurseryman prefer to have a diff'erence 
of from 5 degrees to 10 degrees between sand and air. 

DAMPING-OFF FUNGUS 

The "damping-ofl"' fungus is very often encountered in the 
cutting bench. The cuttings decay at the surface of the sand, the 
tops often remaining green some time after the stem has blackened. 
Excess of water in the sand or air favor the spread of the disease. 
Higher temperature than the plant requires and close conditions are 
other factors. Formahn, used at the rate of one part formalin to 
fifty of water, using two quarts to a foot of sand, will kill the fungus, 
but the cost is rather prohibitive. Allowing the sun to enter the 
house and letting the bench become rather dry, will help the control 
when the plants are in the bench. It is suggested that peroxide 
of hydrogen be used to supply oxygen to the sand and air. Definite 
proportions have not been accurately determined. 

CALLUS 

When the cuttings start to root they will gradually produce a 
layer of spongy tissue over the cut surfaces. This is a callus and 
usually precedes rooting. Leaf callus forms on the veins (note 
fig. 26). The callus is first a wound protection, but later the cells 
are absorptive and even go so far as to produce organs lost by 
wounding. 

MONOCOTYLEDONOUS PLANTS 

The monocotyledonous plants, such as the grasses, lilies, As- 
paragus and aroids, root in a different way than the dicotyledonous 
plants. Callus is rarely formed, but the cut-surface becomes corky 
in appearance. No roots are sent out from the stem, but one of the 
buds in the axils of the lower leaves enlarges and sends out roots. 



52 COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 

The bud continues to grow and becomes the new plant, the cutting 
is soon withered away and the new plant is independent. 

POTTING CUTTINGS 

Most plants should be potted or transplanted before the roots 
get a half-inch long, using small pots or flats of a friable, not too 
rich, soil. Allowing the cutting to remain in the propagating bench 
will be detrimental, because it will only use up its own stored food 
and can get no food from the sand. Certain plants, for example, 
Clematis, have a tendency to produce a great deal of callus but 
roots may be tardy to appear. By paring off some of the excess, 
the roots may be induced to grow. 

THE SAND AND WATER METHOD OF ROOTING CUTTINGS 

By the sand and water method many a tree may be rooted which 
is difficult to increase in other ways. It consists in using a pan, or 
a pot with the hole closed, filled with sand. Half-ripened wood 
is used for cuttings and placed in the pot. The sand is kept in 
such a wet condition that the water itself is almost visible on its 
surface. The pan or pot can then be placed in the sun, the excessive 
moisture preventing wilting, and rooting soon takes place. Gor- 
donia pubescens is rooted by this method. 

WARDIAN CASE 

Every conservatory and general flower growing estabhshment 
should have a frame in the greenhouse, in which the atmosphere 
can be confined and good bottom heat maintained. Such a frame 
is caUed a Wardian case. 

Robert Shore, gardener to the Cornell University Department 
of Botany has devised a sash-covered frame which is maintained at 
a relatively high temperature by boarding up the heating pipes. 
A pan of water sets upon the pipes and tends to equalize the tempera- 
ture. The bottom of the frame is provided with a number of holes 
to allow for the free passage of the heat upward. There is a layer 
of three or four inches of sphagnum moss over the holes; this serves 
to retain the moisture. 

Many plants, such as Crotons, Dracsenas, Nepenthes and other 
tropical plants, are readily propagated in such a frame. Mr. Shore 
propagates these plants successfuUy by placing the end of the cutting 
through the drainage hole of an inverted flower pot which is placed 
upon the moss. The roots start in the moisture-laden air inside the 
empty pot, for the pot is not filled with moss, sand or soil. ^ 



CUTTINGS 53 

THE FLORIST MAKES CUTTINGS ACCORDING TO THIS TIME 

TABLE 

Abutilon. Autumn. Green wood. 55° to 65°. 

Acacia. June or Winter. Half-ripened wood. 60° to 70°. 

AcALYPiL\. Autumn to Spring. 60° to 70°. 

Agath^a. Autumn and Spring. 55°. 

Ageratum. February and March. 60° to 65°. 

Akebia. Midsummer; half-ripened wood. Winter; hard wood. 45° 

to 50°. 
Allamanda. Winter or Spring when pruning. Ripe or soft wood. 

50° to 60°. Give a little bottom heat. 
Aloysia. See Lemon Verbena. 
Alternanthera. August; place in sand. When rooted place in 

flats. Pot in April for sale. 60°. 
Araugaria. Cut back plants. Use leaders only for cuttings. Lateral 

cuttings make asymmetrical plants keep cool until rooted. 60°. 
Ardisia. Half -ripened shoots. 50° to 60°. Usually by seed. 
AxrcuBA. Summer to Autumn. Half-ripened wood. 50° to 60°. 
Begonia. (Lorraine group.) Before January. Usually leaf cuttings. 

65° to 70°. 
Bougainville A. Early Spring. Half-ripened wood. 60°. 
BouvARDiA. March. More difiicult by stem cuttings than root. 

60° to G5°. 
Buddleia. Summer; soft wood in greenhouse. Autumn; hard wood, 

keep through Winter, out of danger of frost. 
Camellia. Late Summer. Ripened wood. 60° to 70°. Often 

grafted. 
Carnation. See page 119. 
Chorizema. Winter or early Spring. May be rooted in sand bench, 

or in pots in mixture of sand and leaf mold. Place in Wardian case 

or under bell jar. 65° to 70°. 
Chrysanthemum. See page 120. 
CoDi^UM. Place under bell jar or in W^ardian case (see page 52). 

70° or above. Bottom heat. 
Coleus. September to Spring. 60° to 65°. 
Croton. See Codiaeum. 

English Ivy. August to September; also, from indoor plants, De- 
cember to January. 50° to 55°. 
Erica. December to Spring. Use strong plants. Cuttings short. 

Cover with beU jar. Never above 60°. 
Euphorbia fulgens. Midsunamer. (See Poinsettia, page 128.) 
FiTTONiA. Early Spring. Pot in leaf mold and sand in 2-in. pots. 65°. 
Fuchsia. February to Spring. Use only newest wood from plants 

cut back some time previously. 50° to 55°. 
Gardenia. Winter. December to February. Use soft wood. Keep 

close. 65° to 70°. Bottom heat. 
Genista. Early Spring. Soft wood. 45°. 
German Ivy. January to March. 60°. 
Heaths. See Erica. 
Hedera. See English Ivy. 

Heliotrope. July, for Winter use. Soft wood. 60°. 
Hydrangea. February and March. 50° to 55°. Slight bottom 

heat. 



54 COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



TIME TABLE FOR MAKING CUTTINGS — Continued 

Ipom^a. Bona-nox. See Moonvine. 

Iresine. Mid-September. 60° to 65°. 

Jasminum. Autumn and Winter. Ripened wood. 50° to 55°. 

Lantana. January to Spring. Green wood. 60 to 65°. 

Lemon Verbena. February to April. 50° to 55°. Slight bottom 

heat. 
LiNUM TRiGYNUM. March. Plants set in open in May. Pinch for 

compactness. Pot in September. 
Lobelia. Pot selected plants from field and propagate through 

Winter. Good habits and colors are perpetuated. 
Metrosideros. Half- ripened wood, with heel. Place in pots of sand; 

keep moist. 
Moonvine. September. Keep cool. Continue propagating through 

Winter. 
Nepenthes. (See Wardian case, page 52.) 

Nerium. Spring. Either sand or water. Keep moist and warm. 
Pachysandra. Midsummer to Autumn. Green wood. 
Pelargonium (Geranium). September to May. 56° to 60°. 
Poinsettia.' See page 128. 
Roses. See page 129. 

Santolina. January to Early Spring. Soft wood. 50° to 55°. 
Snapdragon. January to March. Many growers believe that 

seedlings make more floriferous plants, less liable to disease and 

with greater vigor. 
Stevia. Late Spring. Half-ripened wood. 50° to 55°. 
SwAiNSONiA. January to March. Green wood. 50° to 55°. 
Verbena. February to March. Green wood. 50° to 55°. 
ViNCA MAJOR. Autumn; or January to March. Half-ripened shoots. 

60° to 65°. Can layer in field. 
Violets. See page 138. 

MAKING CUTTINGS OF PERENNIALS 

Cuttings can be made of hundreds of perennials. If you 
wish to increase your stock, merely take little slips in the Spring 
when the plants are six or seven inches tall. Be sure to leave a few 
buds below where the cutting is taken; it will not injure the plants 
in the least, but will cause them to become branchy. Choose wood 
that is a little ripened. 

Some of the perennials w hich are readily propagated by cuttings 
are here given; others are found on page 139. 

Ajuga Helenium Pentstemon 

Arabis Hesperis Perennial Sunflower 

ASGLEPIAS HeUCHERA PhLOX 

Boltonia Hollyhock 

Centaurea Iberis 

Cerastium Larkspur p 

Chrysanthemum Lobelia Fotentilla 

Clematis Loosestrife Salvia 

Dahlia Lotus Sedum 

EUPATORIUM MONARDA VeRONICA 



Pinks 
Plumbago 



CUTTINGS 



55 




Fig. 20. — Dahlia cuttings. Such shoots make excellent material for cuttings, each 

one besides being of the proper length is also provided with a heel or "meat" at 

the base. Heel cuttings are thought to produce better tubers 



In the Summer the cuttings may best be rooted in coldframes 
prepared much Hke the propagating benches in the greenhouse. 
Cheesecloth screens should also be erected over the frames. Care 
must be taken that the cuttings never dry out and the ventilation 
must be perfect. Damping-ofF is sure to result if the conditions are 
stuffy and moist. 



56 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



HARD WOOD CUTTINGS 

Most of our shrubs and many of our trees may be propagated 
by hard wood cuttings. The wood of the last season's growth is 
taken in the Autumn or early Winter, when the 
leaves have dropped (preferably before heavy 
freezes) and cut into approximately six inch lengths. 
The cuts at the base and tip should be through an eye, 
although this is not absolutely necessary (see fig. 21.) 
They are usually tied in bunches of fifty or one 
hundred cuttings. After making the cuttings they 
may be placed in boxes of moist soil or sand and 
placed in a cellar, or they may be buried upside 
down in a sandy knoll deep enough so that they are 
below the frost. A mulch over the top will also 
retain the heat. Take special care to keep the 
tops all one way and have the butts in one plane 
so that they may callus uniformly. 

Early in the Spring the cuttings, which will 
have rooted, or callused, should be planted in rows 
far enough apart for cultivation, and 6 to 8 inches 
apart in the rows. They should be so planted 
that one or two eyes are above the surface of the 
soil. In the Autumn they should be dug and 
sorted for size. Some shrubs will require planting 
in nursery rows again; others will be salable the 
first year. 

The Climbing Roses are easily propagated by 
this method. Grapes are so multiplied; cuttings 
5 to 7 inches long is sufficient. Some growers also 
use one-eye cuttings of Grapes (see also Vitis p. 177.) 



Fig. 21.— Hard- 
wood cutting. 
Note that the 
top is cut just 
above the buds, 
and that the 
basal cut is 
made through 
the buds. Such 
cutting s 
should range 
from 4 to 8 
inches long 



SUMMER CUTTINGS OF SHRUBS 



Many trees and shrubs are readily propagated by taking soft 
wood or half-ripened wood cuttings in June and July. This 
furnishes a very cheap method of propagation. Such cuttings will 
resemble the cuttings of the herbaceous or soft- wooded plants. 

Greenhouse rooted. The cuttings are best rooted in flats, in the 
greenhouse, where they may be easily handled. The cuttings may 
also be placed in the bench. A house should be used which gets the 
sun. "Thoroughly renovate the benches and give a coating of white- 
wash which will sweeten the boards and destroy the disease spores. 



CUTTINGS 57 

Four inches of sand will be necessary. Put a thin shading of lime 
on the glass and hang a piece of musUn inside the entire width and 
length of the bench. Tack the upper edge fast to the rafter, and 
arrange it so that the muslin will shde up and down upon a series 
of wires. The object of this is, that on dull days and in the early 
morning and late in the evening the curtain can be pulled up, 
admitting the light. The reason for putting the curtain on the inside 
is to allow the sun's rays to pass through the glass, thereby fur- 
nishing the necessary heat to cause root action, without allowing 
the direct sunhght to strike the cuttings, which would be fatal."* 
Such parts of the house not used for cuttings should be screened 
with muslin hung from the sash bars. Because the work is done 
in hot weather, evaporation will take place rapidly from the cuttings, 
so that there must be as little circulation of air as possible. 

*As the cuttings are made, keep them moist by placing in damp 
paper. Insert in the sand, about two to two and one-half inches 
apart and one-half to three-quarters of an inch apart in the row. 
Firm the sand and thoroughly water, covering the cuttings with 
newspaper during the bright sunhght. Syringe the cuttings every 
morning, but only water them when they become dry. When the 
cuttings have rooted take off papers and continue to spray. A 
musHn shade will now be necessary. When well rooted, place in 
flats under a slat frame house out of doors and give plenty of water. 
Many kinds will make a foot of growth in the season. Protect for 
Winter. Set in open soil in Spring. 

FRAMES 

No bottom heat is necessary indoors, but in the frames some 
bottom heat will be needed. A foot of fresh horse manure, well 
trodden, will furnish the heat. Over the manure spread a layer of 
4 to 6 inches of sand. Cover the frame with a tight-fitting sash. 
Build a muslin canopy above the frame about 3 to 4 feet high to 
protect the young stock from the sun. 

Lilac cuttings should be made early in June as the wood ripens 
earher than some other sorts. By this same method may also be 
propagated such shrubs as Andromeda, Hydrangea paniculata, 
Tamarix, Syringa, Forsythia, Bobinia hispida, Akebia, Kerria, 
Symphoricarpos, Cornus, Clematis flammula, Berberis, Caly- 
canthus. Viburnum, Exochorda, Weigela, Deutzia, Lonicera, 
Ligustrum, Althaea, Sambucus and Lycium. 

* Trillow, Wra. Propagation of Shrubs. Proc. of Soc. of Iowa Florists, 1912, pp. 
75-80. 



58 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



LARGE STEM CONSERVATORY PLANTS 

Alocasias, Diejfenbachias, Dracaenas, and some other conserva- 
tory plants are readily propagated by cutting the old stems into 
four-inch pieces, which are placed in the propagating bench with 
bottom heat but not too great moisture. The Wardian case is 
useful for this purpose; when rooted they are potted in sandy loam 
and peat. 



EVERGREEN CUTTINGS 

Many of the evergreens 
are propagated by stem 
cuttings in the early Fall or 
Midwinter. The cuttings 
are usually made a bit 
shorter than hard wood cut- 
tings of deciduous-leaved 
plants. They are best 
placed in sand, using cold- 
frames or nearly-spent hot- 
beds. They usually pro- 
duce a callus before freez- 
ing. Cold weather makes 
it necessary to cover the 
frames with sashes and a 
heavy coating of straw. In 
the Spring it will be noted 
that many of the cuttings 
have not only produced a 
large callus but they will 
have made some top 
growth. Those made in 
Midwinter are placed in 
flats under the bench of a 
cool house. 

Three types of cuttings 
are used: simple, heel and 
mallet. The simple cutting 
(see fig. 22) is the sort men- 
tioned previously in the case 
of soft wood and hard wood cuttings. The heel cutting (see fig. 23) 
difl'ers in one resepct only, in that it has a small sHce of the 
parent stem attached at its base. The mallet cutting (see fig. 24), as 




Fig. 22. — A simple conifer cutting. The cut shows 

a species of Reiinispora. The leaves are cut from 

that portion of the stem which is to be placed 

beneath the surface of the sand 



CUTTINGS 



59 



the name infers, has at 
its base a small or large 
piece of the entire stem 
to which it was attached. 
The two latter sorts of 
cuttings are thought to 
be better because of the 
food stored in the parent 
stem. Especially neces- 
sary are the mallet cut- 
tings to those evergreens 
which root very slowly. 
Only well ripened 
shoots should be used; 
the Softer branches are 
inclined to damp-off. 

The hghter colored 
branches are quite apt 
to be immature. 

Sometimes the cut- 
tings are made in Spring, 
which do not root as well 
as those taken in the 
Autumn. 

The following ever- 
greens are propagated 
by mature wood cuttings 
as described above: 

Azalea 
Galluna 
gotone aster 
Gr\ptomeria 
gupressus 
Hedera helix 
Jxj]vn>ERUs — about New 
Years 

M AH ONI A 

Retinispora obtusa 

Taxus 

Thuya 




Fig._ 23. — A heel cutting. The sketch shows a 

cutting which has been made so that a portion of 

the parent stem is attached to the base. This 

is a species of Juniper 



Some Evergreens, such as Pines and Spruces, grow readily from 
seed, which method alone is used. 

Writing of the rooting of conifers, Mr. Balfour* says that "the 

* Balfour, I. Bayley. Problems of Propagation. Journ. of Roy. Hort. Society, Vol. 
XXXVIII, part III, pp. 447-461. 



60 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



Evergreens often produce calluses very poorly but they all form 
some. The obstacle to the rooting is the resin which covers the 
cut surfaces and hardens. If the resin skin is scraped from the 
cutting they will often form abundant callus. Should the callus 
become too large it may be pared down in which case roots will be 
encouraged. In Pine the flow of resin is great; it is also thought 
very difficult to root from cuttings. The ends of the cuttings 
should be plunged in nearly boihng water; this seals the resin 
canals and the heat promotes the formation of a callus." 

Chamxcyparis no ot- 
katensis and Lawsoniana 
pendula are best propa- 
gated by cuttings made 
in early Winter placed 
in heat under glass. Pot 
after rooting and grow 
for a year or more before 
planting out of doors. 

Cunninghamia lanceo- 
lata should best be root- 
ed from half-ripe 
wood in late Summer 
under glass. Libocedrus 
cuttings are rooted in 
late Summer under glass, 
but they root very 
slowly. 

LEAF CUTTINGS 

Plants with fleshy 
leaves or thick petioles 
may frequently be 
propagated by leaf cut- 
tings. The Rex Begonia 
is the most familiar ex- 
ample illustrating this 
method. The leaves may 
be cut into a number of 
more or less triangular pieces (see fig. 25), each of which has a large 
piece of one of the main veins of the leaf. When such pieces are 
inserted half their depth into the sand, the veins will callus and the 
young plantlet start from this point. (See fig. 26.) 




Fig. 24. — A mallet cutting. In making the mallet 
cutting a piece of the entire stem of the parent 
plant is left at the base. This mallet is a store- 
house of food; such cuttings often root when the 
simple cutting does not (see page 59) 



CUTTINGS 



0] 



Another method of 
making a leaf cutting of 
the Begonia is to cut 
through the main veins 
at various points and pin 
the entire leaf upon the 
sand of the propagating 
bench (see fig. 27), so 
that the cut ends of veins 
must be in contact with 
the sand. A confined 
atmosphere and shght 
bottom heat are bene- 
ficial to rooting. A bell 
jar, ' placed over the 
leaves, will serve to give 





Fig. 26. — Rooted leaf cutting. The second 

cutting of the leaf shown in figure 25 has 

callused, rooted and produced a young 

plantlet 



Fig. 25. — Rex Begonia leaf cutting. 
The leaf is so cut that each portion 
has a piece of a large vein. Each 
section of the leaf when placed in the 
sand will root. The parts around the 
outside of the leaf are thin and are 
thrown away (shown by white in sketch) 



the proper conditions so that 
the leaf blade will not dry out. 
Many plants with very 
fleshy petioles and leaf blades 
may be propagated by placing 
the petiole, or stem of the 
leaf, in the sand. The blade 
is often reduced in area by 
cutting away the outer and 
thinner parts of the leaf. The 
leaves of such plants as the 
Rose, Lilac, Cabbage, and 
Lemon, will root by this me- 
thod, but this is not prac- 
ticed conmiercially. Achime- 
nes, Begonia (Lorraine group). 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



Gesneria, Gloxinia, Strep- 
tocarpus, Hoya and Pep- 
eromia (see fig. 28), how- 
ever, are successfully 
rooted. 

With the leaves of 
certain bulbous plants, 
as the Hyacinth, 
small bulbs are produced 
at the base when they 
root. 

Sanseviera leaves are 
cut into three inch 
lengths and allowed to 
dry for a day or two. 
They are then placed 
perpendicularly in the 
sand where they must 
not be overwatered, in 
which case they start 
new plants nicely. 

Bryophyllum leaves 
when placed on the sand 
bench will send out 
young plantlets at every 
notch in the leaf 
Sphaerogyne or Tococa, a beautiful broad-leaved conservatory 
plant, has a peculiar method of propagation which is described by 
Geo. W. Oliver: "Its propagation is very simple but requires 
bottom heat. Cut the stems about two inches below the leaves, 
trim Ihe leaves to within two inches of the petioles. Split the stem 
down the middle and place the cuttings in sand where there is a 
brisk bottom heat. Make sure that the under part of the small 
piece of leaf lies close to the sand, then every piece will root pro- 
vided the leaves are neither too young nor too old. The rooted 
pieces should be placed in 2-inch pots. Replace the potted cuttings 
in the sand with the under part of the leaf again close to the sand. 
The young growth from the axil of the leaf will furnish the stem 
of the future plant. Too much water at any one time is apt to be 
hurtful. 

When the small pots are full of roots the rooted cuttings may 
be placed into 3-inch pots, without in any way removing any of the 
soil This can easily be done if care be taken. All of the rooted 




Fig. 27.— Another method of making a leaf cutting 
of Begonia Rex. The leaf shown in figure 25 might 
have been pinned to the sand by bent wires. Near 
the pins the main veins when cut would have pro- 
duced small plants (See page 61) 



CUTTINGS 



6S 



cuttings will not make symmetrical plants and those which refuse 
to do as we wish can be brought under subjection by using them for 
propagation. The full grown plants do not look well when the 
leaves are irregularly developed, but the symmetrical plant is a 
thing of beauty. When old plants approach the flowering stage 
they should be cut down and used for propagation They are 
seldom handsome when over four feet tall." 

I. Bayley Balfour remarks that plants grown from a leaf taken 
near the flowering region, of the Begonia, for example will bloom 
more quickly than one obtained otherwise. 

ROOT CUTTINGS 

Many plants with thick roots may be propagated by cutting the 
roots or root stocks into smaU pieces. But, curiously, variegations 
are often not reproduced by this method. Some are propagated 
indoors in the greenhouse, others, the stronger growing sorts, are 
propagated out of doors 

In propagating plants by root cuttings in the greenhouse, flats 
or shallow boxes filled with light loam and leaf mold are used 




c A B 

Fig. 28. — Leaf cuttings of Peperomia. A, A simple cutting of Peperomia Sandersii. 
B, A leaf properly cut prepared for making a leaf cutting. C, The growth from such a 
cuttmg as B. The young plantlet starts from a callus at the base of the leaf stem, or 

petiole (See page 62) 



64 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



Section I. The smaller and more delicate rooted sorts are cut 
into lengths of one to two inches, and scattered over the surface of 
the soil, after which they are covered with about a half inch of 
finely sifted hght loam. Cover the flats with newspaper and start 
cool. Adventitious buds will soon form. When the growths have 
started a bit, the plantlets should be transplanted to other flats 
about two to three inches apart each way. 

The following perennials are so propagated: 

Achillea Ceratostigma Polygonum 

Anemone japonica Coronilla varl\ Romneya 

BouvARDiA Euphorbia Saponaria 

Plumbago Larpent^ 

Section 11. Some other plants, although 
propagated indoors, are best handled by 
placing the cuttings perpendicularly in the 
soil so that the upper end protrudes a half 
inch (See fig. 29). This class of plants 
usually has fleshier roots than those in the 
previous group. The following are so propa- 
ated: 

Anchusa 

bocconia 

Dicentra spectabilis 

dodegatheon 

Gaillardia 

Gypsophila 

Helianthus rigidus 

MONARDA 
P^ONIA 

Papaver; fleshy root species 
Phlox, perennial 
Statice 

^'";^^V^t ""k"^' cutting. A fleshy StOKESIA 

root which has produced a tiny „ 

sprout ThERMOPSIS 

Section III, Root cuttings when planted in the open ground 
are usually large in diameter and four to six inches long. They are 
planted almost horizontaUy in trenches and covered two inches 
deep. 

A few of the trees and shrubs propagated by this method are: 
Blackberries Hypericum Sassafras 

Calycanthus Phellodendron Syringa 

Cladrastis Robinia Xanthoceras 

Roses 




CHAPTER III 



BULBS ♦ LAYERS ♦ DIVISIONS 



Bulbs — Hyacinths — Tulips — Bulblets ^ Easter Lily — Corms — 
Tubers — Tuberous Roots — Dahlias — Fancy Leaf Galadium — 
Offsets — Suckers — Layers — Simple — Tip — Serpentine — Con- 
tinuous — Air — Chinese — Preparing Plants for Layering — 
Runners — Mound — Rhizomes — Conservatory Plants — Division 
of Perennials. 

BULBS are actually entire blooming plants telescoped together. 
Upon the approach of proper environmental conditions they 
start to grow and bloom. There are two types of bulbs : the tuni- 
cated and the scaly bulbs. The tunicated bulbs illustrated by the 
Onion and Tuhp are clothed in a tight-fitting dry skin or tunic 
(see fig. 37). The scaly 
bulbs, illustrated by those 
of the Lily (see fig. 31), are 
composed of thick, over- 
lapping scales. 

Many bulbs propagate 
naturally by the production 
of small bulbs, or bulbels 
inside of the other bulbs, in 
which case the small bulbs 
gradually become larger 
and larger until they are 
of blooming size. (See figs. 
30 and 33.) Observation of 
the behavior of the Nar- 
cissus to produce double- 
nose bulbs will illustrate 
this method. When bulbs 
propagate by this method, 
frequent transplanting is 
necessary to keep the old 
and new bulbs from crowd- 
ing. A number of our bulbs 




Fig. 



. .e,- 30. — Diagram of bulb structure. Note 
the thick fleshy scales which compose the main 
part of the bulb; the flower stem and true 
leaves at the center of the bulb; the two small 
bulbs, or bulbels, produced between the scales 
but gradually pushed outside as the bulb 
grows; the white area at the base of the bulb 
corresponds to the stems of plant parts above 
the soil 

65 



66 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



in the garden are multi- 
plied by taking the bul- 
bels and starting them in 
sandy soil in small pots 
boxes. Notably are 
Begonia Evansiana 
the hardy Begonia, 
Oxalis, Tuberose, and 
many of the Dutch bulbs. 
A great number of our 
Spring flowering bulbs 
are grown mostly in 
Holland and are there 
propagated. For list of 
bulbs and their propa- 
gation see page 141. 

HYACINTH 

PROPAGATION 

Fig. 31. — Easter Lily bulb. This illustrates the 

scaly type of bulb (See page 65) r^i , • r> 

V H fe ; ll^g propagation oi 

Hyacinths is about as interesting as that of any bulb. The Dutch 
have two commercial methods, known as "notching" and "scooping." 
In notching (see fig. 32, B) cuts are made transversely in wheel or 
star fashion across the base of the bulb. Just how far to cut is 
learned by experience. If the cut is made too deep the young bulbs 
will not start, and if not deep enough too httle increase is obtained. 
By the second method, that of scooping, the base or stem of the 
bulb is cut out, leaving the bottom scooped so that each layer of 
bulb scales is cut through. (See fig. 32, G.) 




.^:^ 






^i^ 




>■'»«.■ 'il*'' 


i^ 


•< :fll^H 




■ p^'m 


K^j^: 


^Fr 


■f 'M 


M": /;< 


■' \ 


wKmi 


■^m 


v 


M 


W 


f 


pa 


-% <" 


v^Ps ^ 


-C-/V- 




?^- ^ 






t.y':^ : '&. 


■'1 


U- 
:. 


■*#^. 




f 


i 




' w^ 






•'i 


■ \^ 






li. 


JF 



ABC 

Fig. 32. — Hyacinth bulbs. A, Base of a bulb. B, The base of the bulb notched for 
propagation. C, A bulb scooped 



BULBS - LAYERS - DIVISIONS 



67 




Fig. 33. — Hyacinth bulbs. 



This cut shows the natural method of producing bulbels at 
the base of the bulbs 



Each method has drawbacks. The notched method results 
in few bulbs (see figs. 34 and 35) of a large size in a short time; by 
scooping (see fig. 36) three times the number of bulbs are produced, 
but they are tiny 
and of superior 
vitality. Offspring 
of notched bulbs 
flower in three to 
four years, scooped 
bulbs require at 
least four or five. 

PLANTING AND 

CULTURE OF 

HYACINTH 

Fred de Meul- 
der, of Lisse, Hol- 
land, in the Flor- 
ists' Exchange for 
April 17, 1915, 
gives the following 
notes on the culture 

for propagation : Fig. 34.— The first stage of a notched bulb 




68 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



"Both classes of bulbs undergo practically the same treatment 
in the 'nurse-room,' a place in the bulb store reserved for them 
and kept at a high temperature. Here they remain until after a 
fortnight or so — about one hundred bulbels in the case of scooped 

bulbs, and thirty in 
that of the notched 
ones are formed upon 
them. They are left 
until after all the 
other bulbs are plant- 
ed so as to give them 
the care of the nurs- 
ery as long as possi- 
ble. Then usually in 
the last week in Octo- 
ber or the first week 
in November they, 
too, are taken to the 
fields and planted. 
The ground has been 
carefully prepared for 
their reception; it has 
been well dug up and 
liberally dressed with 
well-rotted cow-dung 
earher in the year. 
This kind of fertihzer 
is preferred to the others, such as lime, etc., both because it is more 
economical and because it is less harmful to the Hyacinth, whose 
extremely sensitive bulb would be burned up by lime or similar 
substances. Hyacinths cannot be set in the same ground except 
at two-year intervals, or at one-year intervals if the soil has been 
turned up from a much greater depth. Both Tulips and Hyacinths 
thrive on a piece of ground if it is used for each of them in alternate 
years, and this is what is usually done. 

Taken to the field, the bulbs are set in the ground at a depth of 
about five inches, and an area of about five square inches is allowed 
for each. The flower beds, one of which stretches almost the entire 
length of the field, are so disposed that each shall be three feet wide 
and that a path one foot wide shall be left between them. When 
all is ready the whole field is covered with about ten inches 
of hay or straw; a necessary precaution, for the Hyacinth is 
very susceptible to the cold. The fields lie thus till Spring, 




Fig. 35 — A notched Hyacinth bulb. The bulbels are 

few but larger than those obtained when bulbs are 

scooped (See page 67) 



BULBS - LAYERS - DIVISIONS 



69 



and then with the sun and rain the leaves, and later the flowers, 
appear. 

Generally the first Sunday in April, if the weather has been fine, 
or the second if it has not, finds the fields in bloom. Then it would 
be hard to find a more beautiful place on earth than this stretch of 
thirty miles from Haarlem to Leiden. The natives are not less 
appreciative of the attraction than the stranger. On this Sunday 
the highway from Hillegom to Leiden is one mass of people on foot, 
on bicycles, in motors, carriages and trams The great concern 
of the people to see the annual flower show is better understood 
when we know that this one day is probably the only chance they 
have to visit it. The flowers are not more attractive to the people 
than to the grower, but his love of beauty must yield to his business 
interests, so the flowers are cut off to allow the additional nourish- 
menji thus gained to go to the bulb. The chpping usually takes 
place ten days after the flowers appear. 

The bulbs now 
begin to enlarge and 
are left to grow dur- 
ing April and May. 
About the middle of 
May, with fair warm 
weather, the leaves 
turn yellow, a sign 
that the bulb is ma- 
tured and can be 
taken out. Wet, cold, 
weather at this time 
of the year retards 
the ripening process, 
bringing the harvest 
up to June. 

In the event of a 
protracted spell of 
wet and cold, some 
method of hastening 
the bulbs to maturity 
must be resorted to. 
One recently adopted 

is to remove the bulbs from the ground before they have reached 
the proper stage and keep them in a warehouse at the temperature 
of fine Summer weather. Forced in this manner they mature at 
the proper time and it is thus possible to meet the demands of those 




Fig. 36. — A scooped Hyacinth bulb. Compare the 
great number of small bulbels produced by this 
method with those produced by notching (See page 67) 



70 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 




Fig. 37. — Tulip propagation. It is the natural method of propagation for tulips to send 
out bulbels at their base (See page 71) 

customers who want flowers in bloom at Christmas. Only with 
Hyacinths was this procedure found impracticable; but with Tulips 
it gave indifferent results. 



HARVESTING 

When the bulbs are taken up from the ground the new bulbels 
are found to have grown to the size of an acorn; the mother bulb 

has almost entirely disap- 
peared, having served as 
food for her numerous prog- 
eny. These are now taken 
to the warehouses and 
placed on laths to dry. 
This is merely a matter of 
plenty of air and the ordin- 
ary Summer temperature. 
This is also the case with 
the old bulbs of the 
'notched' class. The opin- 
ion prevalent in some 
quarters that it is necessary 
to apply absorbent material 
to all the bulbs after treat- 
ment experience has shown 
to be without foundation. 
Only in the case of 
'scooped' bulbs have we 
found the application of 
an absorbent at all neces- 




Fig. 38. — Bulblets. The sketch shows a Lily 

stem upon^which small bulbs, or bulblets, are 

produced (See page 71) 



sary. 
The 



cleaning of the 



BULBS - LAYERS - DIVISIONS 71 

bulbels, a process always attended with a good deal of danger of 
damaging them, is deferred till the Fall, when any injury the tender 
plants might sustain will be speedily healed by the earth wherein 
they are soon after placed. Set in the ground again in October, 
the new bulbs bear leaves in the following Spring. The second year 
those of the 'notched' class flower, while the others want still 
another season." 



NARCISSUS AND TULIP PROPAGATION 

Most Narcissus and Tuhp propagation must be left entirely 
to nature (see fig. 37); no cutting of the bulbs can be done to 
increase the production. Left to themselves each bulb produces 
tlijee or four bulbels, of which two or three develop to good size, 
and the old bulb disappears. The following Autumn the young 
bulbs are taken up, cleaned, and replanted. It thus takes two 
years to get Narcissus and Tulip bulbs. 



BULBLETS 

Certain bulbous plants, as the Tiger Lily, Dentaria bulbifera, 
certain Ferns, Ranunculus Ficaria, and the Multipher or Potato 
Onion, produce small bulbs in the axils of their leaves above ground. 
These are bulblets. (See fig. 38.) They can be planted inmiedi- 
ately after ripening and will multiply the particular plant true 
to variety. 

EASTER LILY PROPAGATION 

, Easter Lilies have been propagated for many years by the 
rooting of bulb scales and by the natural division of the bulbs, but 
recently a method of raising Easter Lihes from seed (see page 39) 
is strongly advocated as a method by which certain diseases may 
be avoided. 

With rare or unusual species of bulbs there is still an advantage 
in propagating by bulb scales. The scales are treated like cuttings 
and are placed in benches of sand or a sandy loam at a temperature 
between 45 degrees and 60 degrees; small bulbels will be produced. 
Some tender sorts need bottom heat. 

Division is the commonest method, as it is the natural tendency 
of Easter Lily bulbs to divide after flowering. 



72 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



CORMS 

Corms are much shortened rhizomes or thickened bases of 
stems, usually subterranean, in which food is stored. A corm 
differs from a bulb in that the greater share of the bulk of a bulb 
is not stem, but bulb scales, which are really thickened bases of 
leaves, the stem being merely a much-flattened plate from which 
root and bulb scales arise. Corms also are covered with shells, 
or scales, but these are scarious, or dried, and are called husks, 
or tunics. These scales are bases of leaves, but are not thickened 
as they are in bulbs. Botanically considered, a bud or the poten- 
tiality for a bud exists in the axils of all leaves. There should be 




Fig. 39. — Seedling Easter Lily. This seedling Lily is in its second year and has thirty- 
six buds and flowers. It was raised by Geo. W. Oliver' 



BULBS - LAYEBS - DIVISIONS 



73 




Fig. 40. — Gladiolus corm. The sketch 
shows the method of producing new corms 
above the old one. Between the two corms 
small corms, cormels or spawn, are produced 
(See page 74) 



one bud for each layer of tunics 

or husks. Because of the man- 
ner of growth of the Gladiolus, 

a cormous plant, which is in 

one plane, these buds should 

have an opposite arrangement 

(see fig. 41), thus causing 

them to He in one straight fine 

through the center of the corm. 
With the Gladiolus, it takes 

from one to four years, accord- 
ing to the variety, for a seed- 

hng to produce a corm of 

blooming size. 

Every stem that makes 

vigorous growth has at its base 

a corm. Each corm has sev- 
eral buds, of which each one 

that grows will produce a new 

corm on top of the one planted. 

Seven Gladiolus bulbs of 

blooming size in one season 

has been reported. In this way the grower's stock is not only 

reproduced each season, but also rapidly increased, provided good 

soil and proper cultivation are given. 

The vigor and the thickness 
of a corm depend much on the 
proper maturing of foliage. If in 
cutting the spike Httle vegetative 
growth is left above the soil, only 
small quantities of food can be 
manufactured by these abbre- 
viated leaves, and the base of the 
stem, or corm, in which the food 
is stored, suffers. The failure 
to carry over stock is often 
due to cutting the flower stems 
near the surface of the soil, the 
corms thus being able to make 
little or no development The 
suggestion, then, is that if one 
wants an annual renewal of corms, 
care must be exercised to leave 




Fig. 41. — Gladiolus corm from which 
the tunic has been removed. Note the 
scars due to the bases of the old leaves. 
The buds are in a straight line, and 
there is one bud for each ring on the 
corm. Sketch taken from Cornell 
Extension Bulletin No. 10 



74 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 




Fig. 42. — Tuber of Jerusalem Artichoke. Note that 

the eyes, unlike those of the Dahlia, are on the tuber 

(See page 75) 



sufficient foliage after 
cutting the spike. 

It is the general 
opinion that corms 
which have been al- 
lowed to bloom every 
year for three or four 
years become thinner 
and thinner. 

Soon after the 
base of the growing 
stem of the Gladiolus 
has begun to thicken, 
small corms are found 
to have formed be- 
tween the old and the 
new corm. These are 
properly called 
cormels. (See fig. 40.) They are covered with a hard shell, thus 
differing from seedling Gladioli of the same size, which have a 
covering more like a husk, composed of the dried bases of the 
previous season's leaves. A more rapid method of multiplying 
new varieties is to cut the corm into several pieces so that each 
piece has one or more eyes. 

Other examples of corms are Crocus, Cyclamen, Antholyza, Col- 
chicum. Arum, Ari isnia, Ixia, Montbretia, Morsea, Sparaxis, 
Tigridia, Watsoriia 
(For additional list 
see page 141). 

TUBERS AND 
TUBEROUS ROOTS 

Certain plants 
produce thickened 
portions of their stems 
beneath the soil. 
These are tubers. 
Tuberous roots differ 
from tubers in that 

tViprA «rp nn pvp« ^^S- '^'^- — Tuberous roots of Dahlia. Note that the 

uieic ctie iiu c;yes sprouts start at the base of the old stem and not on the 

from which growth tuber itself. The line marked C-C shows how the Dahlia 

rpi p should be divided, each new plant having a piece of 

starts. 1 lie eyes Ot the parent stem, a tuber and a sprout 




BULBS - LAYERS - DIVISIONS 



75 



the tuberous roots are at the base of the old flowering stem. Ex- 
amples of tubers are: Potatoes, Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus 
tuberosus) (see fig. 42), Begonia Evansiana. Tuberous roots are 
found in the following plants: Dahlia (see fig. 43), Tuberous 
Begonia, Boussingaultia, Caladium, Hemerocallis Dumorlieri and 
Poison Hemlock. 



m 








Fig. 44. 



-Offsets of Anthericum. Note how these plantlets are produced upon pendu- 
lous stems. (From Milady's House Plants) (See page 76) 



PROPAGATION OF DAHLIAS 



The tubers should be started about April 1st in a warm, fight 
room, merely placing them in a shallow box of sand or fight soil. 
When the young shoots begin to show, they should be so cut that 
one or two eyes are allowed to remain on each piece; the eyes start 
from the collar between the old stem and tuber (See figs 20 and 43.) 



76 COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 

PROPAGATION OF FANCY LEAF CALADIUMS 

Small tubers started in February will be large by September, 
when they should be removed from the soil and stored in sand» 
When ready for propagation they should be cut into good size 
pieces and covered with powdered charcoal. They are then placed 
on a bench in sphagnum and sand where they can root nicely, 
before potting in a mixture of loam and leaf mold. This treatment 
apphes to Gloxinias and Tuberous-rooted Begonias, but the latter 
two are not cut to pieces. 

OFFSETS 

Certain plants produce small plantlets, rosettes from the parent 
plant which, if allowed to strike the soil, will root readily. These 
are often designated as offsets. Famihar examples of offsets are 
those found with Cotyledon, the Hen-and-Chickens, Anthericum 
(see fig. 44), Marica, (Enothera and Boltonia. 

SUCKERS 

Suckers are unexpected shoots from the base of plants. The 
formation is frequently encouraged by injury to the roots of a 
plant. Familiar examples of trees which sucker are: Sassafras , 
Asimina, many of the fruits, Ailanthus and others. When the roots 
are not injured there is little trouble with suckers. Some propa- 
gators hold that plants grown from suckers are incHned to sucker 
later in the new plant. 

The fruiting of the Pineapple, Ananas, is followed by the produc- 
tion of suckers which are removed and rooted in sand. The 
Banana is propagated almost entirely by suckers. 

Plants which sucker are easily propagated by root cuttings (see 
page 63^. 

A number of conservatory plants, such as Agave, Caladiuniy 
Billbergia, Tillandsia, Guzmania, Anthuriuiriy Pandanus, are readily 
propagated from suckers broken from the plants and potted in 
small pots plunged in a Wardian case (see p. 52). 

LAYERS 

Propagation by layers consists in rooting a portion of the plant 
without detaching it from the parent plant. Some plants may 
be propagated by this method when cuttings fail. Many propagate 
themselves naturally by this method, the branches coming in 



BULBS - LAYERS - DIVISIONS 



77 



contact with the earth, producing roots. Creeping Jenny, Boston 
Ferns, Grapes, Sedums, Tomatoes, and many other plants take 
root at the nodes, or eyes, very readily. In the case of many other 
plants roots easily form when a branch is bent 
down and covered with earth. This is simple 
layerage. It is advantageous to peg the 
branches in some manner and to cut the stem 
partially through (see fig. 45) at the point where 
roots are pre- 
ferred . Black 
Raspberrie s 
root easily 
when the tips 
of their bran- 
ches are buried 
(see fig. 46). 
This latter is 
known as tip 
layering. After 
the layers have 
rooted they are 
severed from 
the parent 
plants. 

When the branch of a plant is covered with soil at a 
number of points, the term serpentine, or compound layering, is 
appHed. It is used very advantageously with vines. 

When nearly the whole branch is covered, the process is called 




Fig. 45. — Simple layering. Note how the branch is bent 
down ; a slit has been cut in the stem at a and held open by a 
pebble, b; a peg, c, holds the layered branch firmly in the soil; 
and the stake, d, keeps it upright. Note how the roots 
have formed 




Fig. 46. — ^Tip Layering a Raspberry. The shoots have been bent_ down and covered 
with soil; each one has rooted and produced a young plantlet, which may be severed 

and grown separately 



78 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 




A B C 

Fig. 47. — Air layers. A, A branch notched preparatory to air layerage. B, A 
Chinese layer, the notch has been covered with a ball of moist sphagnum moss. C, A 
pot layer; a pot filled with moss or sand has been used instead of just a ball of moss 

(See page 78) 



continuous layerage. This method is confined to a few shrubs 
and vines which grow readily from buds even though they are 
covered with earth. 

With other plants whose branches cannot be bent down to 
the earth, some method of air or pot layerage is used. Ordinary 
flower pots are spht in two pieces (see fig. 47, C) and placed 
around a branch. The pot is tied together, an incision is made 
in the bark and stem inside the pot and the pot filled with 
sphagnum moss or soil. This method is successfully used on 
Dracaenas and Crotons when they become too tall and lose their 
lower leaves. The pot is not necessary; many plants are layered 
by merely tying a ball of sphagnum moss around the stem which 
as before, is injured. Such layers are called Chinese layers (see 
fig. 47, A and B). So soon as roots form, the top is removed and 
potted. 

PREPARING PLANTS FOR LAYERING 

Early Spring is the time to prepare for layering. Stock to be 
layered should be growing with ample room betweenjthe plants, to 
permit of the shoots being layered all around them, and still leaving 
room for cultivating between them. The soil should be con- 



BULBS - LAYERS - DIVISIONS 



7J 



sidered: it should not be heavy, but rather of a Kght nature, 
making work easy for the operators; the layers, too, root more 
freely in light, sandy soil than in any other kind. 

Having the plants at a proper distance apart, and the soil 
prepared the next thing is to prune the plants, , to cause them 
to make some young, strong shoots for layering. These shoots 
should, preferably, always be of the same season's growth, though 
older ones will root. If not already pruned, do it before growth 
starts, cutting the plants down as near the ground as possible, 
having in mind that the shoots anticipated must be layered under 
the surface, so the nearer they are to the ground the better; layering 
should commence as soon as the shoots are of sufficient length to 
permit of it. 




Fig. 48. — Rubus propagation. Shows method of increase 
Sketch by George W. Oliver 



80 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 




Fig. 49. — Mound layer of Gooseberry. Note that 

the shoots have been cut back close to the soil 

previous to mounding the soil about the plants; 

each shoot is rooting nicely 

Quinces are propagated by this method. 



MOUND LAYERS 

Plants with rather 
stiff branches which can 
hardly be bent down and 
covered with soil are 
mound layered. By this 
method the plants are 
cut back very severely 
and this will cause the 
production of a great 
number of branches. 
These are covered with 
soil which will cause each 
branch to root. (See 

When the pro- 
completed, the 

are divided. 



fi 



to 

cess 



49.) 
is 
plants 
Gooseberries and 



RUNNERS 

Certain plants, such as the Strawberry (see fig 50), produce 
runners, or little plantlets, upon speciahzed branches. These are 
^k readily propa- 

'^ — gated by separ- 

ation from the 

—SS^ and pottmg m- 

<^^^^i to 2 inch or 23/2 

inch pots. In 

the Strawberry 

Fig. 50. — Strawberry runners patch there Is 

frequently a 
succession of these new plants started, but for the best results the 
first runners to be produced from the plants should be trained into 
pots sunk into the soil. 

RHIZOMES 

A rhizome, imlike a root, is an underground stem. In other 
words, rhizomes bear roots and have prominent leaf buds or eyes. 
(See figs. 51 and 52.) 




BULBS - LAYERS - DIVISIONS 



81 




Fig. 51. — Portion of German Iris Rhizome. 

Between the leaf shoots is shown the scar 

left by the flowering stem. Each shoot might 

be separated as an independent plant 



Divisions of a root stock or 
rhizome are safely planted 
vertically when it is known 
which is the upper end, other- 
wise, most divisions should be 
placed in the soil horizontally. 

Many of our outdoor plants 
which bear rhizomes are best 
propagated by taking pieces 
which bear one or two eyes. 
For examples see under Bulb- 
ous Plants and Their Propaga- 
tion, page 141. 

CONSERVATORY PLANTS 

Many conservatory plants 
are propagated by divisions 
of a rhizome. Some examples 
are : 

Acanthus. Divide in 
Spring or early Au- 
tumn. 
Aglaonema. The 
short rhizomes 
when divided are 
placed in 
sand to root. 
Alocasia. 
Usually in 
March. Keep 
close, moist 
and warm. 
Use War- 
dian case. 




Fig. 52. — Primula Sieboldii. This sketch is of the Spring stage showing the rhizome 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 




Anthurium. Place divisions in peat, sphagnum moss and sand, in small 
pots plunged in Wardian case, at temperature of 75° to 80° with 
bottom heat. Propagated in Midwinter. 

Arum. Division of rhizome in Spring. 

Aspidistra. Wash out old soil before growth starts and divide up 
rhizomes; place in propagating bench of sand to root, then pot. 

Calathea. (See Aspidistra.) 

Calla. (Not Richardia.) (See Anthurium.) 

Canna. The rhizomes are rather tuberous. Divide and pot in March. 



BULBS - LAYERS - DIVISIONS 83 

CoNVALLARiA. (See Lily of the Valley.) 

Fatsia papyrifera. Best in Spring. 

Ferns. (See page P. 123.) 

Lily of the Valley. (These rhizomes are called pips.) Divide. Grow 
in sand with good bottom heat and shade. 

Maranta. (See Aspidistra.) (See fig. 53.) 

MoNSTERA. Each piece should have several joints. 

Nelumbium. Aquatic. Cut up rhizome and anchor to soil with a 
stone. 

NYMPH.EA. Aquatic. (See Nelumbium.) 

RiCHARDiA. (Galla Lily) Dry off plants in summer. Pot in early Fall, 
removing offshoot s which, when potted several together in a pot, of- 
ten bloom the first or second year. 

DIVISION OF PERENNIALS 

One of the simplest methods of propagation is that of division. 
With a large knife or spade huge clumps are cut into convenient 
sizes for replanting. Certain very rampant growers get very much 
choked after growing in one place for any length of time. Examples 
of perennials which require almost annual propagation are : Michael- 
mas Daisy, Achillea ptarmica and millifolium roseum, Helianthus, 
Sedum, some Veronicas, Chrysanthemums, (Enothera, and all 
perennials which sucker badly should be moved and divided every 
year Artemisia, BoUonia, Campanula, Geum, Funkia, Doronicum, 
Armeria and Thalicirum are all propagated by division. 

Certain perennials, such as Peonies and Fritillaria, should not be 
moved often; they must be thoroughly established in order to bloom 
properly Peonies should be moved every six or seven years. Phlox 
every four years and Iris every three years. 

Boxwood can easily be separated by tearing to pieces old dwarf 
plants; the divisions are replanted to make a tiny hedge. A new 
plant, the Box-barberry may prove a good substitute for the Box, 
as it is a low growing form of Berber is Thunbergii. 






CHAPTER IV 

GRAFTAGE 



Graftage Defined — Objects — Results — Limits — So-called Graft 
Hybrids — Characteristics of a Stock — Selection of Wood for 
Cions — Time to Graft — Important Points — Whip Grafting — 
Root — Cleft — Veneer — Side — Splice — Saddle Graft — Rridge 
— Crown — Terminal Bud — Budding — Time to Bud — Shield 
Budding — Patch — H Budding — Inarching — Seedling Inarch — 
Top Grafting — Double Working — Wax — Applying Wax — 
Cactus Grafting. 



TERMS DEFINED 

THE term graftage is now accepted to include both grafting and 
budding. The real difference between these two processes 
is slight. Budding is inserting a single bud into the growing wood 
of a plant; grafting, merely consists in using a twig of several buds 
instead of a single bud. Also included under graftage is the process 
of inarching, or grafting by approach. 

The term cion (often spelled scion) is used to designate the 
portion of one plant which is inserted upon another plant, called 
the stock. The stock is usually rooted so that it may gather the 
nourishment from the soil and furnish it to the cion. 

It must be remembered that even though the stock and cion 
are in intimate union, each retains its own individuality. The 
tissues of bark and wood of each never mix, they merely knit to- 
gether. 

Most dicotyledonous plants, as Apples, Legumes, Evergreens, 
Cacti, Composites, Crucifers and members of the Potato family, 
have been grafted. Monocotyledonous plants, as Lihes, Orchids, 
Grasses, Irises, and the Aroids, have never been grafted for com- 
mercial purposes, because their parts are not adapted for the essen- 
tial close union. 

84 



GRAFTAGE 85 



OBJECTS OF GRAFTING 



The reasons for grafting plants are well set forth by Baltet* as 
follows: "The object of grafting is — 

1. To change the character of a plant, by modifying the wood, 
the foliage or the fruit which it was required to produce. 

2. To excite the development of branches, flowers, or fruit on 
the parts of a tree where they are deficient. 

3. To restore a defective or exhausted tree by transfusion of 
the fresh sap of a vigorous kind. 

4 To bring together on the same stem the two sexes of monoe- 
ciousf plants, in order to facihtate their reproduction. 

5. To preserve and propagate a great number of woody or 
herbaceous plants for use or ornament, which could not be repro- 
duced by any other means of multiphcation." 

THE RESULTS OF GRAFTING 

After the cion grows it produces its leaf, flower, or "fruit after its 
kind." Shoots from below the point of union continue to produce 
their own characteristic leaves, flowers and fruits. But grafting 
hardly ever materially changes the quahties of the characteristic 
stock and cion. 

Dr. L. H. Bailey t has summarized a few efl'ects of grafting 
which are of interest. 

Dwarfing. Grafting may alter the stature of a plant. It is a 
common method of dwarfing plants. The pear is dwarfed by 
grafting on Quince or on the Apple by working on the Paradise 
Apple stock. 

Adapting varieties to adverse soil Grafting may be the means of 
adapting plants to adverse soils. Some varieties of Plums are 
worked on the Peach, which causes them to thrive in a sandy soil. 

Roses when grafted on Manetti stock tolerate sandier soils. 

Adapting plants to adverse climate. Grafting may be the means 
of adapting plants to adverse climate. The stock may mature 
sooner and cause a relatively earher maturity of the cion, or the 
stock may actually impede the flow of sap and cause earher maturity. 

The Oldenburg and other Russian Apples are used as stocks, 
because the early maturing causes the ripening of the wood of 

* Baltet, Chas. The Art of Grafting and Budding, p. 2. 

t It would seem that Baltet might have included dioecious as well as moncBcious. Mo- 
noecious plants have flowers bearing only one sex, but both kinds of flowers, on one 
plant; dioecious plants have the separate sexes on difi"erent plants. 

JFrom Garden and Forest, Feb. 26, 1890. The above excerpt from this paper is much 
changed, but the main facts are found in the article cited. 



86 COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 

the cion, which consequently is less injured by adverse Winter 
conditions 

Correcting poor habit. Grafting may correct a poor habit. 
Canada Red Apples, which are notably poorly shaped trees, are 
improved by top working upon some good grower. 

Rapid method of testing seedlings. Grafting often hastens 
fruiting and flowering. Seedlings which require a long time to 
attain the age for flowering or fruiting are frequently budded or 
grafted upon a mature tree. (See Inarching, p. 102). This method 
saves years of waiting for, perhaps, an inferior fruit. With the Pear 
it often takes eight to ten years before the seedHng will bear fruit; 
but when budded. Pears may be produced in two years. Even the 
bud from a seedhng, therefore, becomes a part of the tree and the 
vigorous growth of its first year may be expected to produce, flower 
and fruit buds. Furthermore, it is known that cions from young 
trees bear fruit more readily when inserted in old trees, than when 
set in young ones. In France this system, by which a great number 
of excellent Pear varieties have been introduced, has been com- 
monly practiced. There is keen pleasure in hybridizing fruits, 
raising the seedhngs and awaiting the results of the labor. 

Modifying season of ripening of fruit. Grafting will often alter the 
season of ripening of fruit, by causing a diff'erence in time of maturity 
of wood in stock and cion. Pears of the variety Winter Nehs keep 
better when grafted on Bloodgood stock than when grown on 
Flemish Beauty. Twenty Ounce Apples ripen earlier than normally 
when grafted on Early Harvest. 

Increasing fruitfulness. The increase in fruitfulness of some 
varieties may be due to better adaptation to chmatic and soil 
conditions. Many instances of increase in fruitfulness, by grafting, 
can be given. 

Delaying the running ou of varieties. Grafting, rather than 
growing plants from cuttings, seems to delay the degeneration of 
varieties of certain Camellias and Roses. 

Increasing size of fruit. Certain Pears when grown on the 
Quince are much increased in size. 

Modifying cohr. Grafting often causes a change in the color 
of flower, foKage and fruit. Many of the cases of apparent diff'er- 
ence are due to enviromnental influences rather than grafting. 
Prunus Pissardi is deeper in the color of the foHage, when grafted 
on P. americana, than upon P domestica. 

Influencing flavor of fruit. Grafting may appreciably influence 
flavor. Angouleme Pears are improved in flavor when worked upon 
the Quince. 



GRAFTAGE 87 



LIMITS OF GRAFTING 



The solution of the problem as to just which plants may be 
grafted upon each other has hardly been explored. Certain species 
graft with perfect ease, certain other species in the same genus are 
united with difficulty. Peaches do not bud readily on the Apricot, 
but both the Peach and the Apricot may be budded on the Plum 
Apparent similarities are confusing. The Horsechestnut cannot 
be budded on the Oak, but the edible Chestnut may be so united. 
Botanically, the Chestnut and the Oak are of one family. Plants 
belonging to different famihes cannot be grafted. It is, however, 
possible to have the Mountain Ash, the European Quince, the 
Japanese Quince, the June Berry, the Crab Apple, the Pear, the 
Medlar and the Cotoneaster all in bloom on one Thorn Apple or 
Crataegus tree. All of these plants belong to the Rose family. 

Absurd statements concerning graftage have continually been 
made by those persons who have allowed their imaginations to rule 
their writings. Even Virgil speaks of Apples growing on Plum trees ; 
a core fruit on a stone fruit. We beheve such things impossible. 
Martial speaks of the Cherry on the Poplar. Madame de Genlis 
claims to have grafted the Rose on the Black Currant, to obtain 
black Roses. Only last year a prominent New York newspaper 
pubhshed with seeming sincerity the account of a table d'hote tree 
which, by grafting, grew Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Potatoes, Apples, 
and a dozen other crops on one specimen. It was advised for 
planting in the small backyard. 

SO-CALLED GRAFT HYBRIDS 

In 1826, at Vitry, France, M. Adami grafted Cytisus purpureas 
upon Laburnum vulgare, and there came from the point of union a 
branch which was hybrid in nature. It bore pink, yellow and 
purple flowers. Yellow flowers are characteristic of Laburnum 
vulgare, and purple flowers are borne by C. purpureus, but the pink 
is truly hybrid. The wood and foHage accompanying each type 
of flower followed the characteristics of the parent from which the 
flower came. This graft was propagated and is known as Cytisus 
Adami. Biologists are not wilHng to call this a graft hybrid, how- 
ever, for they point out that the tissues are not hybrid. The outer 
tissues of C. Adami are distinctly A. purpureus and the inner 
Laburnum vulgare. 

Many other examples of so-caUed graft hybrids have been 
found. In 1914, D. Bois in Revue Horticole, reported the case of a 
Pear grafted on a Quince, which sent out below the graft two opposite 
branches; one being of the Quince growth, the other difl'ered widely 



88 COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 

irotn both the Pear and Quince. It was called Pyrocydonia Winck- 
leri* It is reported that this variation is propagated true to type. 
The settlement of the question whether such growths are truly 
hybrid is important, for if they are, sexual and asexual reproduc- 
tion are identical. Hybrids are supposed to occur only upon the 
union of the sex cells, not the structural cells, of a plant. 

CHARACTERISTICS OF AN IDEAL STOCK 

A good stock for budding or grafting should be: 

1. Hardy, if possible, so that the plants may hve through the 
Winter. 

2. Easily multipHed; simply and rapidly. 

3. Cheap to obtain; many stocks are grown from seeds gathered 
from the wild. 

4. Free from susceptibihty to pests and diseases. Certain 
plants being very susceptible to pests are grafted for this reason. 
The European Grape being readily attacked by the phylloxera, a root 
louse, it is grafted upon the American Grape stock which is not 
attacked. Diseases are readily communicated from stock to cion 
or vice versa. 

5. Easy to work; looseness of bark for budding is a prominent 
asset. 

6 Capable of making good strong unions and unite quickly; the 
cion should not outgrow the stock. 

7. Able to produce a good, well-balanced root system. In the 
case of many conmiercial plants, a small but very fibrous root sys- 
tem is preferred, because of the advantage of easy transplanting 
and later the abihty to fertihze the limited area about the plants. 
The long wiry roots are often the only ones produced when the seed- 
ling stocks are raised in a heavy soil. A loose, fibrous soil containing 
leaf mold will cause such trees as Hickories, Oaks, English Walnut, 
and Chestnut to make fibrous roots. To get a desirable root sys- 
tem Fullerf advises sowing nuts "in shallow pots or boxes, and in 
nearly pure sand, applying hquid manure as needed, to insure a 
vigorous growth." 

8 Non-suckering Suckers are always a nuisance because they 
must be removed, else they will often outgrow the cion. 

9. Adapted to a wide range of soils. The adaptation of a stock 
to both sand and clay will go toward making the success of a variety 
from the commercial standpoint. 

* Bois, D. Pyrocydonia Winckleri. Revue Horticole, Jan. 16, 1914, pp. 27-29. 
t Fuller, A. S. The Propagation of Plants, p. 233. 



GRAFTAGE 8» 

10. Straight stocks for weepers and standards. For grafting 
this class of plants, a crooked stock is objectionable. During the 
Winter or early Spring cut down the plants and encourage one shoot 
only to grow. Cut out the weaker ones. In growing stocks for 
weepers the growth of a leader is not stopped, for side shoots are 
not wanted. Stocks for standards can often be stopped in growth 
after reaching the proper height or they can be pruned in order to 
form a head the same season. 

SELECTION OF AVOOD FOR CIONS 

The material for making cions should be collected, preferably 
in the Midwinter, and is best stored in moist sand or sawdust and 
kept cool. The wood may, however, be gathered any time before 
the buds start in the Spring. For making cions the strong, vigorous 
wood of the previous season's growth should be chosen which have 
pwlp matured buds on each branch. 

TIME TO GRAFT 

Grafting is usually done when the buds of the stock are be- 
ginning to swell, which indicates that the sap is now active. As 
the different trees and shrubs vegetate at various times in the 
nursery there is a well-planned succession of grafting for the various 
species of plants. 

THE IMPORTANT POINTS IN ALL GRAFTING 

Plants which can be grafted have a layer of bark which covers 
the wood. Usually this bark, at least on the young branches, will 
peel from the wood. It is absolutely essential that the tissue 
between the bark and the wood of both stock and cion be in contact. 
This layer is known as the cambium layer. It has the abihty to 
grow wood tissue from its inner side and bark from the outer; by 
such knitting together the tissues heal nicely. 

After the graft is made, especially in outdoor work, the whole 
area of cut surface in stock and cion must be waxed over to check 
evaporation from the tissues. 

Grafts may be made: (1) upon seedhngs, a method especially 
used in propagating horticultural varieties of ornamental trees and 
shrubs. (2) upon young trees as with Apples, and other fruits; (3) 
upon the trunk and branches of older trees; (4) upon roots; or. 
(5) upon the crown of the plant 

WHIP OR TONGUE GRAFTING 

Whip grafting is largely used when grafting small stocks. Both 
the stock and cion are cut diagonally; this cut should be long and 



90 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



straight. A vertical cut is then made in 
both. Practice will show that the cut 
must be made a trifle to one side of the 
diagonal cut. The two parts are fitted 
together as shown in the cut (fig. 54). 
Care must be taken to have the cam- 
bium layers in contact. If the stock is 
larger in diameter than the cion, the 
cion must be placed at one side. The 
union is then wrapped with waxed string 
or raffia. The waxed string used is No. 
18 knitting cotton. The balls are soaked 



Fig. 54. — Whip or tongue 
grafting. A, Stock and 
cion properly cut. B, The 
parts fitted together and 
wrapped with waxed string 

in melted grafting wax and 
laid away to dry. This 
string is just weak enough 
to be broken by the hands. 
In whip-grafting Pears, it 
seems best to wax the 
grafts rather than use the 
string. In order to harden 
the wax quickly the grafts 
are dropped in a pail of 
water. 




Fi; 



55. 



—Whip graft- 
ing on roots. The 
stock and cion are fre- 
quently made longer 
than shown in cut 
(See page 91) 



GRAFTAGE 



91 




Fig. 56.— 
Cions for 
cleft graft- 
ing 
(See page 92) 




ROOT GRAFTING 

The whip or tongue is the most common 
method of root grafting Apples. The stocks are 
dug and stored in the Autumn and grafted in 
January or February. Whole roots may be used, 
grafting at the crown Sometimes each root is 
cut into two or three pieces, in which case two or 
three grafts may be made (see fig. 55). The 
grafts are packed in moist sand or sawdust and 
stored in a cool cellar, where during the Winter 
the grafts will callus. Care is taken to label 
the grafts which are tied together in bundles of 
100. As soon as the soil can be worked in the 
Spring the grafts are dibbled out in rows, so 
that the top bud is just above the surface of the 
soil. For extensive plantings, furrows seven or 
eight inches deep are frequently turned, the 
grafts are set in the row and the soil thrown 
back and firmed, either by hand, with tamps or 
by a machine with obhque wheels which 
presses the soil about the grafts. 

CLEFT GRAFTING 
Cleft grafting consists in splitt- 
ing a stock after it has been cut 
off perfectly even and inserting 
one or two cions. The cions 
should be wedge-shaped (see 
fig. 56) and of equal size. 
In cutting the wedge great 



care is necessary in order 
to have both sides straight, 
not lopsided nor scooped 
out. The lowest bud on 
the cion is best placed when 
it^is just above the cut sides 
of the wedge. A special 
tool may be used to make 
the cleft and hold it open 




Fig. 57. — Cleft grafting. 

A, Use of grafting tool 

for making cleft. B, 

Inserting cion 



92 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 




while the cions are being inserted (see 
fig. 57). 

Cleft grafting is used principally 
when the stocks are over one inch 
in diameter, making it possible to 
insert two cions. Should both grow, 
the weaker is cut out at the end of 
the first year. As in all grafting, the 
cambiums of both should be in con- 
tact. To insure this the cions should 
be inserted a trifle diagonally (see 
fig. 58-A). 

As soon as the graft is made, all 
cut surfaces must be covered with 
wax (see fig. 58-B); even place a 
slight dab at the ends of the cions. 
The Cacti are easily cleft grafted. 
Pereskia (see fig. 80) and Cereus are the common stocks for such 
Cacti as Epiphyllum, which is very drooping (see pp. 109-110). 

Peony roots may be cleft grafted, especially Paeonia Moutan, 
which is grafted either on the herbaceous or the shrubby stock. Bind 
the graft with copper wire; raifia decays before the union takes place. 



58.— Cleft grafting, 
completed graft. B , Properly waxed 



VENEER GRAFTING 

Veneer grafting (see fig. 59) is practiced mostly in the greenhouse 
upon ornamentals. The graft is very simply made, consisting 
merely of cutting a chip from the stock and fitting a cion to it. 
In the greenhouse a 
ball of moss around 
the union is sufficient. 
When used out of 
doors the cut edges 
must be thoroughly 
waxed. The stock 
need not be headed 
back until the cion is 
growing nicely. Cer- 
tain of the plants 
which are more diffi- 
cult to graft will best 
be placed in a Ward- a b c 

ian case, or grafting Fig. 59.— Veneer grafting. A, The stock notched. 

frame, where the at- ^* ^^^ """ '"' '° ^' togethe?' ^' ^*°'^ ^""^ "°° 





GRAFTAGE 



93 



mosphere can be confined. Many of the evergreens and Rhododen- 
drons are propagated by this method. 



SIDE GRAFTING 



Very closely resembling the veneer graft is the side graft. A 
diagonal cut is made in the stock, which should be long. Note the 
sketch (fig. 60), which shows how the cion is made and inserted 
into this cut. Plants by this method may be propagated either when 
in full growth or when dormant. Waxing is necessary out of 
doors; tying with waxed string indoors holds the cion in place. 
If the stock is headed back shghtly. the growth will be encouraged. 




Fig. 60. — Side grafting the Rose. The cut in the stock should not be so nearly- 
through the stem and is best made longer and more acutely than shown in the sketch 



SPLICE GRAFTING 

An exceedingly simple form of grafting is the spKce graft. Stock 
and cion are cut with a long diagonal cut as for the whip graft. 
The two parts are tied together without further fitting, although the 
stock and cion should be approximately the same size. This 
method is used on Roses (see page 136) and Cacti (see fig. 61), and 
is only successful in the greenhouse. 



94 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 




Fig. 61. 



-Splice grafting Pereskia Cactus 
(See page 93) 



SADDLE GRAFT 

In making the saddle 
graft the stock is cut in 
the form of a wedge. 
The cion may either 
have a section removed 
to fit over the wedge or 
it may be merely spht 
upward (see fig. 62). 
This method is success- 
fully employed in graft- 
ing: Rhododendrons. 



BRIDGE GRAFTING 

When trees are gir- 
dled, or nearly so, the 
wound may be encour- 
aged to heal and the sap caused to flow, by bridging the injury 
by cions made in the form of a wedge at each end and fitted 
into V-shaped cuts in the bark. A tack holds the cion in place, 
but the exposed cut areas must be waxed. (See fig. 63.) 

This method has been widely used by the French in restoring 
mutilated fruit trees in France. 

"Throughout the entire district devastated by the Germans 
there were thousands of trees that the close pursuit of the French 
kept the Germans from having time completely to cut down. 
Instead, the 'kultured' tree-killers cut off* a circle of bark around 

the trunk of the tree, which 
with a few days' exposure to 
the sun would be sufficient to 
kill Peach, Plmn, Apple, Apri- 
cot, and Cherry trees that had 
been half a century attaining 
their actual productiveness. 

"So great was the number 

of trees that had to be dressed 

this way that the entire 



I n 



m 




m 



Fig. 62. — Saddle^grafting 



available supply of grafting 
preparation was quickly ex- 
hausted. Tar was then used 
as a substitute, and, finally 



GRAFTAGE 



95 



loamy clay. Substitutes for 
surgical bandages also had to 
be found, and in the end it was 
discovered that moss twisted 
and tied about the dressed 
wound was as effective as any- 
thing else."* 

CROWN GRAFTING 

The crown graft is a slight 
modification of the cleft graft. 
In this case the stock is not 
split, but the cions are cut 
various shapes and fitted into 
lEe cuts in the stock. The 
cions may be tapered as in the 
cleft graft or they may be cut 
off straight at the base as in 
fig. 64 . Another kind of crown 
graft is made by removing 
triangular chips from the stock 
and using a cion to fit. A 
special inlaying tool is used 
for the purpose. (See fig. 65.) 





Fig. 



64. — Veneer crown grafting. This is a modifi- 
cation of the crown graft (After Baltet) 



63. — Bridge grafting. Note how the 
cions are cut to fit into v-shaped incisions 
in the bark (See page 94) 



Crown grafting is 
used extensively upon 
very large trees which 
have been cut down. 
Many cions may be 
inserted. They must 
be tied and waxed in 
place. To prevent 
transpiration it will 
be best to cover the 
whole stump with 
wax paper. The 
unions will not be 
very strong and some 
stake should be pro- 
vided at the start, for, 




*Wood, Henry. From an article reported in the Literary Digest from the Westminster 
Gazette (London). 



96 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 





when the cion grows, 
little surface should be 
exposed to the wind. 

In the areas devas- 
tated by the Germans in 
the war where trees have 
been cut down, the 
French are crown graft- 
ing the trees. Regard- 
ing this work we find re- 
ported in the Literary 
Digest the following com- 
ment from V Illustration 
(Paris, April 28, 1917): 

"The work of repara- 
tion was taken up in 
time, and Nature was 
given a chance to act. 
When the bark of the 
oldest trees was too 
deeply grooved to admit 
the passage of young sap, 
the old trees were elim- 
inated, and trunks not 
exceeding 25 centimeters in diameter were left to send up shoots. 
Four or five of the most vigorous of the shoots will be used for 
grafting-slips next year. 

Some of the trunks saved have been grafted even with the 
ground when planted, so the new growths, springing from the 
trunks at a height of 80 centimeters, will bear, above the graft, 
exactly the same kind of fruit that the tree bore at first. Other 
trees not the issue of grafts, but seedlings, whose bark has not 
been roughened by age, are expected to recuperate very rapidly. 

When the mutilated tree did not measure more than 20 centi- 
meters in diameter the 'crowning' method has been used. This 
means that the trunk has been sawed in a slightly oblique direction 
to facilitate the course of the rain (fig. 66, a), and then from three 
to six grafting-shps have been inserted all around the trunk, between 
the bark and the wood. For use by the 'crowning' method, the 
grafting-sHps are prepared as shown in figs. 66, b and c, and set 
in 8 or 10 centimeters apart, the space varying according to the 
diameter of the trunk (fig. 66, d). When set in place, the graft- 
slips are ligatured, and the whole — ^wound, bark, and ligature — 



Fig. 65. — Inlayed crown grafting. It is well to 
have a special inlaying knife for cutting this 
sort of a crown graft but it can be made without 
one. The cion is cut with a triangular face with 
a notch which will act as a support upon the 
stock. By placing the cion upon the stock the 
section of wood can be marked with a knife .and 
easily removed (After Baltet) (See page 95) 



GRAFTAGE 



97 



carefully covered with grafting wax. The slips (which must be in 
a state of complete rest) will be found in France growing in a crown 
around the top of the mutilated trunk. . . ." 

TERMINAL BUD GRAFTING 

With certain plants the tip of the twig of a seedhng is spHt 
lengthwise through the terminal bud and the cion is inserted as in the 
ordinary cleft graft. This method is performed upon the Walnut 
and the Pine according to Baltet. This method is known as 
terminal bud grafting. (See fig. 67). It is best practiced indoors 
and is here presented in the hope that it may be a method by which 
some other difficult plants may be grafted. 




Fiof. 66. 



. row n grafting in war zone. (From L' I lluatratiun, Paris) 
(See page 96) 



BUDDING 

When the cion is merely a bud, the process is known under the 
specific name of budding, a term less accurate than the French 
term bud-grafting. The bud is usually accompanied by a small 
piece of bark, and generally in cutting most buds there will also be 
a small piece of wood. If done carefully the wood is best removed, 
but the buds grow fully as well without going to this trouble. 
The stock for budding should be in a growing condition. 

When to bud. The bark of the stock must peel readily. The 
buds must be large and plump in the axils of the leaves, because 
immature buds do not grow. The bud wood or bud stick should 
be kept in moist paper or sphagnum moss as soon as cut. 

Prof. U. P. Hedrick, the expert horticulturist of the Geneva 
Experiment Station, gives the following dates for budding: Rose, 
July 1 to 10; Pear, July 10 to 15; Apple, July 15 to August 1; Plum 



98 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 






(St. Julicn stock), July lo to 
August 1; Plum (Myrobalan 
stock), August 15 to September 
1; Cherry (Mazzard), July 20 to 
August 1; Cherry (Mahaleb), 
August 20 to September 1; 
Quince, July 25 to August 15; 
Peach, August 20 to September 
10. 



Fig. 67. — Terminal bud grafting. Pine. The tip of the stock (R) is split and 
cion (A) is inserted (C) (See page 97) 



GRAFTAGE 



99 



SHIELD BUDDING 



The simplest method of budding is known as shield budding. 
The buds are cut from the bud stick, holding the branch as shown 
in the cut (fig. G8), with the top end toward the budder. The cut 
is made downward and as smooth as possible. Professional budders 
prepare the bud stick by cutting the buds almost entirely through, 
allowing them to hang so that they may be removed just before 
inserting on the stock. 

The stock is best gone over several days before budding so that 
the weeds are removed from the base of the plants. Interfering 
leaves and branches are also cut out. In most nursery budding, 
except for weeping varieties and standards, the buds are inserted 
an inch and a half above the soil. With a knife a T is cut in the 
stock (see fig. 69); this may be right-side up or inverted. Much 
fs being said of late of the advantage of the inverted T; the 
buds may be inserted more 
easily and shed the water better. 
The edges are peeled back and 
the bud is inserted so that it fits 
flatly. Should a piece of bark 
protrude above the bud it may be 
removed. The bud is now tied 
firmly with raffia to keep out 
water; the whole cut surface, 
except the bud, being covered. 

About ten days after budding, 
the buds will have united to the 
stock and the raflia should be cut, 
else the young bud will be 
strangled. Plants budded early 
will often start to push a shoot,, 
then the top may be cut off en- 
tirely or it may be sawed partially 
through and the top bent over. 
Eventually, however, the top 
should be removed. With plants 
budded later the bud will remain 
dormant through the Winter and 
start in the Spring. The main rig. gs.— Cuttings buds. The sketch 

shoof should not ho nit until aftor shows the proper position of bud stick 

snooi snoum noi oe cui uniii aiier ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ r^^^ ^^^^ j^ ^^^^ ^^^_ 

the bud has grown in the Spring tially removed from the twig until 
{" r '7(\\ ready for insertion; then the bud may 

(.see ng. iv). be easily cut straight across 




100 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



The Peach may be 

budded either in June or 

September. Regarding 

June budding, Joseph Mee- 

han writes: "Whoever pos- 
sesses strong Peach stocks 

can secure by Fall, Peach 

trees large enough to sell, 

if budded in June or early 

July. These would be what 

are called June budded 

Peaches in the trade. Bud- 
ding is done now instead of 

in September, and the 

stocks are then treated in 

a way to cause the buds to 

grow at once instead of 

remaining dormant until 

Spring, as is the case with 

the buds set in September. 
The September budding 

is performed by inserting 

\s/:] the bud near the ground, but in the June work it can 
be placed higher up, so as to increase the height of the 
tree when offered for sale. Below the height branches 
are wanted on a Peach tree, it is immaterial whether the 
part below be seedhng or what, so the bud can be 
placed up a foot or more, if the vigor of the stock will 
permit of it. The stock should be headed back to 
about six inches above the bud. As soon as the union 
of the bud is assured, strip off the fohage from the 
part above the bud; but do not cut the stem away until 
later in the season, as it well serves the purpose of a 
stake to which to tie the growing bud, and it is better 
to leave the fohage below the bud as well for awhile, 
cutting it away gradually as the bud advances. To 
strip it all off as soon as the bud starts has a weakening 
effect, which is soon perceived." 




Fig. 69. — ? hie Id budding. Showing T-shaped 
cut in stock; the bud and the budded tree 
(See page 99) 




^3';;;!r);Ki«.Vf;K;.,rv. 

Fig. 70.— 
A budded 
seedling 
tree. Note 
that the bud 
at the base 
has started 
to grow. The 
top can now 
be removed 



PATCH BUDDING OR FLUTE BUDDING 

It is much more difficult to make a successful 
patch bud than a shield bud. The bud is cut from 
the branch with a square of bark and a square the 



GRAFT AGE 



101 




102 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



same size is cut from the stock (see figs. 72 and 73). The bud 
must fit nicely into the stock, otherwise the union is difficult. 
This method is used mainly with very thick barked plants and is 
done in late Spring. 

When the whole ring of bark is removed with the bud, the 
process is called ring or annular budding (see p. 153, fig. 95). It is 
merely a modification of the patch bud and is sometimes used on 
the Grape. 

The patch budded plants are treated just as are the shield 
budded ones. 

H-BUDDING 








The nature of the H-budding method can be readily seen from 

the sketch (fig. 74). An H 
is cut in the bark, the bud 
is inserted beneath the 
double flaps and bound 
with raffia. 

INARCHING 

Inarching is a method 
of approach grafting. It 
is a simple method of 
cutting a portion of bark 
from the stems of two plants 
(see fig. 75-A) and tying 
them securely together so 
that the cut surfaces of each 
may knit. The plants are. 
growing in both cases. 
There are many modifications of tliis simple method. 

When the plants have united one of them is cut from its root 
and is allowed to grow on the roots of the other. At the same 
time the head of the undesirable sort is removed. The parts of 
the plant are frequently joined by a tongue graft (see fig. 76). 

Beech, Birch, Maple, Larch and various evergreens are often 
increased in this way, whenever desirable varieties of them cannot 
easily be increased in any other way. When stocks are to be 
used in this way, it is better that they be weU estabfished in pots 
by potting them in March. It is still better to have them potted a 
year in advance. 



Fig. 72,— Patch budding 



GRAFTAGE 



103 



Dr. David Fairchild, in 
the introduction to the 
bulletin on the seedhng in- 
arch of G.W.OHver (1911),* 
remarks that one of the 
greatest drawbacks of hor- 
ticulture is the time re- 
quired to test a new variety 
originated from seed, and 
any method which shortens 
the time required to make 
such tests must appeal to 
everyone, whether an orig- 
inator of new varieties or a 
tester of them, as of the 
gf eat est value. 

Mr. Ohver writes: *'It 
was discovered by the 
writer that a large number 
of hard-wooded shrubs and 
trees are capable of very 
rapid increase when 
propagated by pro- 
cesses which may be termed 
the seedhng - inarch and 
nurse-plant methods. 

These methods are 
inexpensive and, owing to 



1-- 




Fig. 74.~H-budding (See page 102) 



Fig. 73.— Patch bud of Mango. The patch bud 
is well adapted for budding thick barked trees 



their simpHcity, may 
be used by persons 
without previous ex- 
perience in the propa- 
gation of plants. By 
these methods the 
ever-increasing num- 
ber of plant breed- 
ers will be able to 
save much time in 
determining the value 

* The Seedling-inarch and 

Nurse Plant Methods of 

Plant Propagation, U. S. 

Dept. of Agri., Bur. of 

PI. Industry, Bull. 202 




104 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



of hard-wooded plants raised by means 
of hybridization. They can be used in 
manipulating seedlings of rare trees 
and shrubs intended for crossing, so 
that each plant will bloom in a much 
shorter time than if left to grow on its 
own roots. Seedhngs of all hard-wooded 
plants, resulting from collections made 
by travelers in foreign countries, may 
thus be brought to the flowering stage 
and their value determined quickly. 

The most remarkable feature of the 
new methods lies not only in their 
simplicity, but also in the certainty of 
the unions which result. The writer 
has had very few unsuccessful unions 
and none among those classes of plants 
where the most suitable stocks are 
known and in common use. Not only 
is it possible to inarch a seedling a few 
weeks old to a large stock, but a 
moderate sized seedUng stock can be 
inarched to a shoot of a rare shrub or 
tree having the same diameter as the 
stem of the seedhng. A satisfactory 
union may thus be induced where other 
methods of a sexual propagation have 
invariably failed. 

Rose seedhngs resulting from cross- 
ing varieties have been inarched on 
Manetti stocks when the Seedlings were 
from three to four weeks old, and they produced maximum sized 
flowers long in advance of those on seedhng plants growing on 
their own roots. The rare Finger Lime, Citrus australasica, some- 
times seen in a dwarf, sickly condition in greenhouse collections, 
has borne fruit two years after inarching on one of its con- 
geners; and within nine months after flowering, hybrid seedhngs 
between this Citrus and a cultivated Orange were in their turn 
inarched on 2-year old Lemon seedhngs. 

Very young seedhngs of hundreds of other rare hard-wooded 
plants may be worked on the same or alhed species or genera, and 
their value determined much in advance of the time when 
they would flower on their own roots, or on plants obtained by 




Fig. 75. — Inarching. A, — The 
method of cutting off a slight 
amount of bark of both plants 
to be inarched. B, — The two 
plants tied together. 
(See page 102) 



GRAFTAGE 



105 




Fig. 76. — Modification of inarch. Instead of simple inarching; the two plants to be 
inarched may be cut with tongues which will fit together (See page 102) 



grafting or budding from the mature shoots of the seedlings. 
Hard- wooded seedhngs which need to be flowered in the shortest 
possible space of time, in order to determine their value, are used 
for inarching as soon as the first leaves attain a fairly firm texture, 
as, for example, in the case of the Mangosteen. But when seedlings 



106 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 










Fig. 77. — Seedling Roses. 



Note that the seedlings are potted at the side of the pot 
in two-inch pots 



are used as stocks for the vegetative propagation of established 
varieties by uniting the stocks to small branches, then larger 
seedUngs are used, as for example, in the case of the Mango.** 

INARCHING ROSE SEEDLINGS 

"Seedhngs of some of the Rose groups, resulting from crossing 
distinct varieties or otherwise, take more than one season to pro- 
duce flowers of maximum size to enable the breeder to judge of 
their merits. They take much longer to develop when budded on 
Manetti or other stocks, because in that case a considerable time 
has to elapse before the growth of the seedling is strong enough 
to give buds and wood fit for propagation by budding or by grafting. 
Rose seedlings three to four weeks old, or after the fu-st few character 
leaves are developed, lend themselves very readily to the seedling- 
inarch method of propagation. Tea and Hybrid Tea seedhng 
Roses will give flowers of maximum size very quickly after the 
tiny seedhngs are inarched to strong-growing Manetti or other 
stocks, thereby saving much time in preliminary tests. 

The operation of inarching is simphfied if each seedhng is pricked 
off into a 2-inch pot (fig. 77) shortly after the cotyledons are developed. 
The seedhng should be placed as near the rim as possible. In two 
or three weeks the seedhng makes suflicient growth to be removed 
from the pot, when a little fresh soil is held in place around the root 
by a piece of cloth about 5 inches square (fig. 78). The baU con- 
taining the roots of the seedhng is secured to the stock, the stem 
of the seedhng being placed close to it, so that tKe inarch may be 
easily accomphshed (fig. 79). The union is a rapid one and be- 
comes perfect some time before the cotyledons decay.* 

* Author's Note. — As above described, a small piece of bark is removed from both 
stock and cion before tying the seedling to the stock. 



GRAFTAGE 



107 



It is well known that many seedling Roses on their own roots 
produce flowers before the cotyledons decay, but the flowers are 
necessarily small and have Httle to indicate their eventual value. 
The seedHng-inarch system shortens very considerably the period 
between germination and the production of flowers of maximum 
size — a material aid to the breeder in determining the value of 
the seedling within a few months after germination. 




Fig. 78. — Seedling Roses. The plants have been removed from the pots 
and wrapped in burlap (See page 106) 



Seedhngs raised from seeds of new and rare trees, shrubs, and 
vines may be induced to grow very quickly if used as cions when a 
few weeks old, by inarching to strong-growing plants of other 
species of the same genus, or in some cases on species of other 
genera of the same family. This has been done recently with such 
plants as Chestnuts, Walnuts, Hawthorns, Oaks, and many others. 
It is not necessarily done for the purpose of hastening the flowering 
or the fruiting of new plants, but to give quickly an abundance of 
material for propagation by budding or grafting when the new 
material is assumed to be valuable. 

If a hardwood seedhng of hybrid origin is tied to a large stock 
and they fail to unite, there is Uttle or no danger of losing the 
seedling, provided its roots are kept damp during the period of 
making the attempt. If the inarch is not successful, the seedhng 
can be repotted and grown in the usual way." 



108 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



TOP GRAFTING AND DOUBLE WORKING 

Trees which are not of the desired variety, even when old, can 
be grafted at various points in the top. It should take three or four 
years to work over a whole tree, certain branches being chosen 
each year. The younger the tree, the easier and more quickly 
it can be worked. 




Fig. 79. — Inarched seedling Roses. Just as in figure 7oA_the bark is cut on both 

stock and cion and tied together. The seedling Rose is tied to the rose stock 

(See pages 106, 107) 



Cleft grafting is mainly used in carrying on this work. It must 
always be remembered that the cions will grow straight up; the 
clefts must, therefore, be made horizontal rather than vertical. 

In some cases varieties which make poor growth or are sus- 
ceptible to decay at the soil hne are double worked ; in other words, 
some strong variety is root grafted on a stock, then later the second 
variety is cleft grafted on the strong stock. 

Bosc, Dix, Dunmore, Josephine de Mahnes, Marie Louise, 
Paradise, Shelden, Washington, Winter Nehs and, some other Pears 
do not graft readily on the Quince. A strong growing sort, such as 
Duchesse d'Angouleme, Vicar of Wakefield or Diel, is used upon 
the Quince ; then the other varieties are budded a few inches above- 
the graft. 



GRAFTAGE 109 



The Tompkins King, Grimes Golden and some other Apple 
varieties are best top worked upon the Spy. 



GRAFTING WAX 

A wax composed of resin and beeswax is most successful in this 
hot country. In certain European work, waxes containing some 
alcohol are used, but they are apt to melt. A good wax is made of 
four parts (by weight) of resin, two parts of beeswax and one part 
of beef tallow. The beeswax and resin are broken up and the 
whole mixture melted. When thoroughly melted, the mixture is 
poured in a pail of cold water. When hard enough to handle it 
should be worked Hke molasses candy, pulled until it has a grain 
and becomes a creamy hght brown. When apphed the hands should 
be well greased. The resin makes the wax hard, the beeswax gives 
it oiliness and the tallow keeps it soft. 

Applying the wax. The wax should be apphed by working it in 
the hands in the form of a flat ribbon. Start in one place and go as 
far as possible with one piece; a quarter of an inch or less is thick 
enough, but let all joints between different pieces of wax be thor- 
oughly worked together so that no air nor water may enter. Cover 
all cut surfaces. Some workers even wax the upper ends of the 
cions. 

Waxed string is prepared by soaking for a few minutes a ball of 
No. 18 knitting cotton in the kettle of melted wax. Waxed band- 
ages are prepared the same way; the cloth should be torn into 
widths of a half inch and rolled before dipping into the wax. 



CACTUS GRAFTING 

Some Cacti are grafted to cause earher flowering. With others 
to increase the decorative appearance of the traihng sorts such as 
the Epiphyllum or Christmas Cactus, they are placed upon upright 
growing sorts such as Pereskia and Cereus. Furthermore, when 
plants become so decayed at their roots that cuttings are difficult 
to obtain, the small tip may be grafted upon a vigorous stock. 

Cleft (see fig. 80), saddle and splice (see fig. 61) grafts are 
the most used. Both methods give a good area for the union 
of the parts. In preparing the stock for the cleft graft, the 
clefts are cut V-shaped, rather than spht. The cions should 
be trimmed wedge-shaped to fit the cleft. As the sticky sap of 
the Cactus allows the cion to shp from the stock readily, a spine 



no 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 




?/OI 




ABC 

Fig. 80.— Cleft grafting Cacti. A, The 
stock, a Pereskia, is prepared by cutting 
out a wedge-shaped piece. C, Thecion, an 
Epiphylluni, is a short branch; a little of 
the outside is removed from each side of 
the base. B, the stock and cion fitted 
together 



from an Opuntia or a Pereskia 
is frequently used which will 
pin the cion to the stock. 
Wm. G. Becker, of the New 
York Botanical Garden, be- 
lieves that grafts made indoors 
are benefited by waxing with 
ordinary candle wax dropped 
on the cut surfaces. 

In grafting Mammillaria, 
the Echinocadus, the Echino- 
cereus and other globose or 
thick sorts, a stock is selected 
which is about the same diam- 
eter as the cion. The top of 
the stock is cut off perfectly 
level; the cion is cut in the 
same way; the cut surfaces 
are fitted together and tied 
with a cloth or soft cord. 




CHAPTER V 

FRUIT STOCKS 



Apples — Collecting Seeds — Sowing Seeds — Dwarf Apples — Apri- 
cots — Cherries — Peaches — - Pears — Plums — Pedigreed Stock. 



APPLES 

THE common stock for the Apple is that grown from the seed 
of the French Crab Apple, which is found wild in Europe. 
Tl^p Apples are used for cider, the seeds being kept and sown. The 
seedlings are quite uniform in their growth and are supplied to the 
American nurserymen so cheaply that much stock is imported rather 
than being grown from seed. 

There is, however, an extensive acreage of Apple stock growing in 
the neighborhood of Kansas and the Central West. Formerly 
quantities of seeds were collected in Vermont, but as this seed was 
obtained from the grafted varieties, rather than from seedlings, in 
many cases, it proved to be inferior and is gradually losing favor. 

COLLECTING SEEDS 

Should the orchardist or nurseryman wish to save his own seed, 
he may collect the pomace at the cider mill and place it in a barrel 
of water to soak. The pulp will gradually come to the top and can 
be skimmed off; the seeds will settle to the bottom. By screening 
through two sieves the seeds are cleaned sufficiently. The first 
screen should be just coarse enough to let the seeds pass through 
and the second sieve should be finer, so that the fine pulp may be 
removed, leaving the seeds. The seeds are spread out in thin 
layers to dry, after which they are stored in a cool, moist place until 
Autumn, when they are sown. 

SOWING SEEDS 

Apple seeds are usually sown during November in special seed 
beds which are prepared with a light sandy loam. Four feet will 
be a convenient width for working the beds. Lath screens should 

111 



112 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 




FRUIT STOCKS 113 

be provided. In the Spring, when germination has taken place, 
the seeds are taken from the beds and sown in the nursery row. 

Had the seeds been sown directly in the nursery there might 
possibly have been greater chance for vacant spots due to poor ger- 
mination, and at the same time the weeds would have come up 
earher than the Apple seedhngs. Most Apple seedhngs are root- 
grafted (see page 91) but this is often accompained by crown gall. 

DWARF APPLES 

The stocks used for dwarfing the Apple are known as the Doucin 
and the Paradise. The Paradise is the more dwarf. Incidentally, 
it may be stated that dwarf trees are hardly as popular in the United 
States as in Europe for the trees are less hardy, the tree roots are at 
the surface of the soil and are frequently injured by cultivation. 
When any of the dwarf trees are planted, care must be taken that 
the union of the stock and cion is not placed beneath the surface 
of the soil, or else the cion will root, and being on its own roots, 
will lose its dwarfness. 

APRICOTS 

Apricots are usually budded upon seedhng stocks or upon the 
Peach. The stones are treated as for Peaches. They are budded 
about the first of September. 

Some propagators hold that the Peach being better adapted to a 
range of soils than the Apricot is, therefore, a more successful 
stock. Prof. Budd, however, advises the native Plums as the best 
stock, holding that they are superior to the Myrobalan or St. 
JuHen stocks. For wet locations the Plum is especially useful. 



CHERRIES 



Fruit growers and nurserymen are, at present, having a contro- 
versy as to just which stock is the best for commercial Cherry 
culture. The Mahaleb and the Mazzard are the two sorts most 
used. According to Hedrick,* the fruit growers hold that the 
Mazzard is the best stock for all orchard varieties; the nurserymen 
befieve the Mahaleb better for the Sour Cherries and really good 
for the Sweet sorts as well. The Mazzard stock is more expensive. 

The Mazzard Cherry, P. avium, is the type from which has come 
the varieties of Sweet Cherries. It is tall growing. The tree is not 

*Hedrick, U. P. Cherries of New York. 



114 COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 

of the hardiest type but is a vigorous grower and is healthy, except 
for its susceptibihty to attacks of the Shot-hole Fungus which makes 
it difficult to grow in the nursery. This stock is readily grown 
from seed. 

The Mahaleb Cherry, P. Mahaleb, is a bush-hke Cherry, with 
fme branches ; the leaves are small. The fruits are green, turning 
yellow, and when ripe become black; but they are hard, bitter and 
astringent. Mahaleb, therefore, differs widely from the sweet 
and the sour Cherry. It is propagated mostly by seed, but may 
be increased by cuttings and suckers. It is much easier to get 
a good looking tree when Mahaleb is used because it is adapted 
to a great range of soils ; is hardier to heat and cold ; less particular 
about cultivation; will stand more cutting in nursery when pruning 
is necessary; is less susceptible to aphis; is usually not so susceptible 
to the Shot-hole fungus and is more easily budded. Cherries on 
Mahaleb ripen their wood earher and may be dug earlier; for the 
fruit grower Cherries budded on Mahaleb are hardier for the same 
reason. Sweet Cherries should be on Mazzard stock; the IVIahaleb 
budded sorts are dwarf growing and varieties come into bearing 
earlier, although the size of Cherries is the same. Better unions are 
made on the Mazzard. The Mahaleb thrives on a greater variety of 
soils. The varieties on Mazzard are more productive and pro- 
fitable than on Mahaleb. 

Cherries are usually budded, but they are successfully grafted, 
upon seedling roots. When planted deep enough the cion takes 
root; the variety is then upon its own roots. 

PEACHES 

Much of our Peach stock is home grown. The stones are 
gathered from the wild Peaches in the mountains of Tennessee and 
the Carolinas. The seeds collected at canneries are thought to 
produce short Mved trees. Peach seed may be sown in flats of a 
sandy soil and exposed to the Winter frosts or they may be placed 
in pits, mere holes dug in the soil, in which the stones may be kept 
moist and to which the frost may enter. Peaches are usually 
budded, although some growers report having been successful in 
grafting them. 

In the South, Peaches are June budded but in the North budding 
is practiced in August or September. See page 100. 

Care must be exercised in selecting bud-wood that mature 
buds are used ; there are usually two or three immature buds at the 
ends of the branches. The current year's growth also has two 



FRUIT STOCKS 



115 




116 COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 

sorts of buds, *branch buds and fruit buds; branch buds must be 
used as the fruit buds merely flower and are gone, while branch 
buds grow to make the top of the tree. The fruit buds are fre- 
quently found on each side of the brapch bud; they may be 
broken ofl", as they are of no use. When only one bud is found in 
the axil of the leaf it is generally a branch bud. 

PEARS 

The stock used for the Pear is mostly raised from seed gathered 
from the cider mills of France. This Pear is known as the Perry 
Pear. Often seedhngs of the Kieffer are used for stocks, for these 
prove very bhght resistant. Some stock is obtained from Japan 
in which case the stocks are seedhngs of the Chinese or Japanese 
Sand Pear. Regarding the use of the latter Pear, Joseph Meehan 
writes : 

"The Sand Pear and its offspring, the Le Conte, are found un- 
suitable for using as stocks for ordinary Pears, much as they may be 
desirable for the Kieff'er, Garber and other kindred bloods. When 
the ordinary Pears are worked on them they grow nicely for a year 
or two, then almost cease growing and dwindle away. Whether 
this is true, too, in respect to the Kiefl'er itself, when its seeds are 
grown, is not so well attested. As it is a hybrid between the com- 
mon Sand Pear and a common one, supposedly the Bartlett, its 
seedhngs may be better suited for stocks than pure Sand Pear 
seedhngs would be; still, those who have tried it do not appear to 
consider it as good for their purpose as the coimnon French Pear 
stocks. Austrahan papers speak of the Kieff'er seeds being used 
by the nurserymen of that country at the present time. What 
attracts those who use the seeds of the Sand Pear tribe, is, that the 
seedhngs are just the thing for stocks for the Kieff'er, this latter 
being popular everywhere as a profitable market Pear; and then 
the vigorous growth of these seedhngs would fit them for stocks 
for all sorts of Pears could they be got to thrive on them." 

Dwarf Pears. Dwarf Pears are obtained by budding or grafting 
on the Quince, the former method being preferred. Most Quince 
stock is obtained from Angers, France. The Pear seems to produce 
larger fruits when grafted on the Quince than it does on the Pear. 
Pecuharly enough, the Quince is not successfully grafted upon the 
Pear. 

The Kieffer Pear should not be dwarfed ; it usually outgrows the 
stock and results in a top-heavy tree. 

*Branch buds are frequently called leaf buds but this is an incorrect term because 
each bud of this sort produces tranches. 



FRUIT STOCKS 117 



PLUMS 



Most growers prefer the Myrobalan Plum stock for general 
purposes. The native Plums are also used for American varieties 
and some nurserymen prefer the Peach for the Japanese sorts, 
when they are to be grown on sandy soils. The St. Julien is a 
variety which is propagated by the French nurserymen and fre- 
quently used as a stock for Domestica and Insititia when it can be 
obtained cheaply. 

The Myrobalan is obtained from France and is raised from seed. 
Prof. Hedrick* mentions that its roots are apt to Winter-kill in the 
colder regions and in the warm sections of this country the plants 
sucker badly. 

The St. Juhen stocks make trees longer hved, hardier, deeper 
feeding, less suckering and well adapted to changed soils. It is, 
however, difficult to bud; the young trees do not make the good 
growth that is made on the Myrobalan. Besides the poor growth 
the young trees are rather susceptible to fungus attacks in the 
nursery rows. 

The Peach as a stock proves successful on sandy or gravelly soil. 
The trees make a rapid growth, and bear when young. There is 
little tendency toward sprouting at the roots. The budding is easy 
and the nursery plants have a good appearance, besides being pro- 
duced cheaply. Especially successful on the Peach are the Japan- 
ese or Triflora Plums. Prof. Hedrick says that the Lombard, the 
Damsons, the Yellow Egg, the Washington, the Domestica and 
the Insititia varieties do not unite readily with the Peach. 

Mariana stocks root readily from cuttings and give a good 
nursery appearance, but they are inclined to sucker. 

The Americana stock is the only safe one for the coldest parts of 
this country. They sucker badly but produce good root systems. 
Americana stocks are not extensively employed by nurserymen 
because of their price and their unknown value. 

Munsoniana seedhngs are adapted for stocks when the orchard is 
planted in low wet lands. ^ 

In top working Plums let the work be done early in the life of 
the tree. Later working will make slow and crooked growth. The 
Lombard has proved a successful stock for top working the Domes- 
tica varieties. 

PEDIGREED STOCKS 

Incidentally, it is interesting to add a statement made by Hedrick, 
who opposes the idea that pedigree stock is superior to ordinary 

♦Hedrick, U. P. The Plums of New York. 



118 COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 

stock. Regarding Plums he writes: "Buds in propagating are 
usually taken from nursery stock, a practice of decades, and there 
is no wearing out of varieties. Old varieties have lost none of the 
characters accredited to them a century, or several centuries, ago 
by pomological writers. Nor does it seem to matter, in respect to 
trueness to type, whether the buds be taken from a vigorous, young 
stripling, a mature tree in the hey-day of life, or some strugghng, 
lichen-covered ancient — all alike reproduce the variety. The 
hypothesis that fruit trees degenerate or, on the other hand, that 
they may be improved by bud-selection, finds no substantiation 
in this fruit." 

Certain other authorities and, especially, nurserymen, like to 
believe that a good tree bearing good fruit yields buds and cions 
superior to those taken from an ordinary specimen tree. The 
reader must not take this statement to mean that cions of Bartlett 
Pears would not be superior to cions from a seedhng or inferior 
variety. But Hedrick feels that cions from one especially superior 
tree would not give better results than from a less attractive appear- 
ing tree, or from young plants in the nursery row. Hedrick has 
an orchard of Rome Beauty Apples all propagated from cions from 
the same one tree. There is as much variation in this orchard 
as one would find in any orchard of one variety of fruit. Environ- 
ment governs the yield, in this case, not the heredity. 

It might be added that the expression "pedigreed stock" means 
to some nurserymen that they guarantee their stock true to name, 
and that it has been propagated from bearing trees and does not 
carry with it the idea of propagation from exceptional trees. 



CHAPTER VI 

4 FEW COMMERCIAL FLORISTS' 
PLANTS 

Carnations — Chrysanthemums — Ferns — Life History — Collecting 
Spores — Soil for Sowing — Sowing — Getting New Varieties — 
Division — Runners — Bulblets — Tip Layers — Tubers — Top 
Layers — Orchids — Division and Cuttings — Seed — Poinsettia — 
Roses — Seed — Hardwood Cuttings — Softwood Cuttings of Out- 
- door Sorts — Indoor Cuttings of Commercial Roses — Summer 
Cuttings — Grafting and Budding — Rose Stocks — Manetti — 
Canina — Carolina — Multiflora — Setigera — Budding Roses — 
Grafting to Increase Yield — Grafting Case — Preparation for 
Grafting — Grafting Operations — Rapid Method of Increasing 
New Varieties — Trenching INIethod — Root Cuttings — Layers — 
Violet — Improving Violet Crop. 

CARNATION CUTTINGS 

LARGE Carnation growers reserve a certain number of plants. 
^ which are not allowed to produce blooms, for it is from such 
plants as this that the best cuttings are obtained. The cuttings 
should be three to four inches long and are best removed from the 
plants by giving them a downward pull. Such a cutting will have 
several "hairs," or fibro-vascular bundles, at its base. Except for 
removing these hairs the cuttings are untrimmed, unless too long, 
for, according to the best modern practice, the cutting should have 
as little cut surface as possible. Cuttings if taken from high up on 
the flowering stems are thought to give weak-stemmed plants, and 
if taken from the shaded bases of the plants the resulting plants 
are apt to be narrow -leaved and weak. 

They should be rooted in a temperature of from 50 degrees to 
55 degrees overhead, and 60 degrees to 65 degrees in the sand. 
Too high a temperature weakens the cuttings, and when rooted at 
40 degrees it takes a week longer to root. It usually requires 
10 days to callus and from 18 to 21 days to root. The cuttings 
should be inserted very shallow in the sand for best rooting. When 
rooted, pot in 2-inch pots and keep them close for several days, 
shading them and syringing carefully. 

119 



120 COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 

CHRYSANTHEMUM PROPAGATION 

Chrysanthemum cuttings (see figs. 17A and 17B) may be rooted 
at a temperature of 40 degrees or up to 80 degrees, but 55 degrees 
is the proper one. If a bottom heat of from 5 degrees to 10 degrees 
can be supplied they will root a little more quickly. The cuttings 
are taken any time between February and July, though April is 
the ideal month. The earlier they are taken the more shifts the 
plants will require in order that they shall not become woody. 
Late propagation gives dwarf plants. The cuttings are treated as 
softwood cuttings and should be potted as soon as roots start. The 
plants may be set deeply in the pots in order that they may not 
appear spindhng. Use httle or no manure at this time. 

CHRYSANTHEMUM STOCK PLANTS 

After flowering, the blooming stems are cut down and the 
plants are shifted to an out-of-the-way bench, planted closer to- 
gether where they may be kept cool (40 degrees), but in good con- 
dition until cuttings are required. At the beginning of March 
more heat and moisture should be supplied. 

FERN PROPAGATION 

Life history. Ferns bear spores; the flowering plants produce 
seeds. Fern spores are not embryo plants but are single cells. 
When they are placed in a favorable soil for growth, they produce 
small, heart-shaped plants, usually about the size of the end of a 
lead pencil. This young Fern stage is known as the prothallus 
(see fig. 83^). Male and female organs are produced on this 
prothallus. 

When the male elements are ripe, they lash themselves about, for 
they possess tiny tails, and enter the female portions of the plant. 
As soon as the union has taken place, a tiny frond is produced which 
gradually develops roots and other fronds until it matures. 

Upon maturing, a defmite portion of the frond develops spore- 
bearing apparatus. These are known as spore cases or sporangia 
(see flgs. 84^ and 84^). They become miniature sling-shots when 
ripe, and bursting, scatter the spores a great distance. Most 
Ferns have these sporangia associated together in small clumps, 
called sori, and appear as brown spots on the fronds (see figs. 
HS\ 83^ 84^ 84^ 84^ and 84^). Certain fronds only, in the 
Staghorn Fern, bear these sori in huge patches. These fronds 
differ in form from the sterile fronds. 



A FEW COMMERCIAL FLORISTS' PLANTS 



121 




Fig. S3. Ferns. 1, A Fern plant bearing a mature and an unfolding frond (c). Each 
division of the frond (or leaf) is known as a pinna (plural, pinnae) (P). The pinnse 
are covered with dot-like masses, or spore cases (sp). The underground stem of a Fern 
is known as a rhizome or root-stock (R). 2, A portion of a frondof Osrminda regalis, 
the Royal Fern; in this case certain pinnae are much reduced in size (sp.) and are the 
only ones which bear the spores. 3, A Fern prothallus. This is the sexual stage and 
produces the male and female organs which in uniting give rise to the growth of the 
mature forms. This prothallus has started to produce a frond (Seepages 120-123) 

In the Osmunda regalis, or Royal Fern, the tips of the frond 
are so changed as to be devoted alone to spore bearing (see fig. 
83^) . Certain of the Adiantums, or Maidenhair Ferns, and many 
of the Boston Fern sports have transformed their fronds to such 
an extent that no spore areas are found. 



FERN PROPAGATION BY SPORES 



Collecting. As soon as the Fern fronds are seen to be maturing 
their spores, the whole frond should be picked and placed in a 
paper bag to catch the powdery spores. The ripening can best be 



122 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 




Fig. 84. Ferns. 1, A microscopic view of a spore case before it has burst. 2, The 
•spore case has ripened and is scattering its spores. 3, The spoie aiets of Adiantum. 
Note that the tips of the pinnae are folded back and it is under the margins that the 
spore cases are produced. 4, The spore cases form huge clusters in Polypodium. 5, 
In Dryopteris the spore cases are kidney shaped. 6, Each pinnae at the tips of certain 
fronds .of Pteris has the edged rolled back; under these the spore cases are borne 

(See page 120) 



ascertained by the use of a hand-lens, 
the baff for several weeks before sowine. 



They should remain in 



SOIL FOR SOWING FERN SPORES 

The proper soil for sowing spores is one composed of leaf mold, 
sand and well decayed sod loam. The sand will furnish good 
drainage. The soil must be carefully sifted through a fme sieve, 
■and should be sterihzed by pouring boiling water through it, or by 
baking it. 



SOWING FERN SPORES 



The pots used should be thoroughly sterihzed by burning. 
When large quantities of Ferns are grown the spores are sown 
in flats or shallow boxes, although usually seed pans will be large 
enough. Plenty of drainage of broken flower pots, is always placed 



A FEW COMMERCIAL FLORISTS' PLANTS 123 

in the bottom of the flats. The soil is now carefully placed in the 
flat and shghtly pressed to a perfect level. When the surface is 
not absolutely level the lower portions of the flat will become 
•damp and sour. W ater the soil now, by a fine rose spray, or sub- 
merge the flat in water so that there will be sub-irrigation. Scatter 
the spores evenly over the surface after the soil has lost its first 
appearance of wetness, and cover with a pane of glass and a news- 
paper. When the spores have germinated the glass should be 
iraised to give ventilation. Gradually more air should be given 
iuntil finally the glass may be removed. 

When the Ferns have grown several leaves they should be 
transplanted on the point of a knife into flats, using a soil con- 
sisting of a mixture of leaf mold and sand. 

GETTING NEW VARIETIES OF FERNS 

It is when the Ferns have grown to resemble a small round leaf 
tthat they have reached the prothallus stage, or the sexual period 
{see fig. 83^). They will now^ hybridize. If hybrids are not 
"wanted, keep the various flats away from each other, otherwise a 
mixed lot of stock is the result. Ferns do not mix when in the 
large, frond-bearing stage. It is not the spores of the fronds which 
<do the crossing. 

When hybridization is preferred sow the various sorts of spores 
together, so that when they grow into the sexual stage they may 
<cross one with another. 

FERN PROPAGATION RY DIVISION 

IVIany of the Ferns produce prominent rhizomes which may be 
cut into small pieces and placed in the propagating bench, 
-wdth a little bottom heat, to root. When rooted they should be 
potted into small pots, using a loose soil. A decayed sod loam 
and leaf mold will be best. A few of the Ferns so propagated are: 
Davallia, the Rabbit's Foot Fern; Dicksonia; Lygodium, the CUmb- 
ing Fern; Nephrolepis, the Boston Fern alhes; Osmunda;\ Phle- 
hodium; Poly podium, and Niphoholus, also called Cyclophorus. 

Adiantums, especiaUy Farleyense and Croweanum, which pro- 
-duce no spores, are frequently propagated by division; the plants 
are removed from the pots and the mass of rhizomes is broken 
apart even down to one or two eyes. The small pieces are placed 
in sphagnum moss at a temperature of 65 degrees in a confined 
atmosphere to produce roots. Later they are potted into thumb 



124 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



pots. The large plants may merely be cut in two or three clumps, 
but the method mentioned will give a great increase of stock which 
will soon attain good size. 



FERN PROPAGATION BY RUNNERS 

One of the commonest methods of propagating the Boston 
Fern alKes is by runners. Long string-hke growths take place on all 
sides of the main crown. Boston Ferns intended for sale may be 
placed in the empty greenhouse benches early in Summer. With 
a Uttle care the Ferns will be surrounded by young plants which 
grow quickly. In August many of these plants may be potted for 
Autumn sales. 

In the propagating of the numerous sports of the Boston Fern, 
should a new one appear, watch the rhizome carefully at the spot 




Fig. [85. Asplenium. Certain of the fronds may be noted in the cut which show the 
development of small plantlets on the fronds (See page 125) 



A FE^Y COMMERCIAL FLORISTS' PLANTS 125 

where the sport shows, and if a runner starts it will often carry 
the characteristics of the frond above it, otherwise the rhizome 
may be divided. 

PROPAGATION BY BULBLETS OR PLANTLETS ON 
FERN FRONDS 

It is interesting to note how some Ferns produce, upon their 
fronds, small bulblets which even start to grow while attached to 
the parent leaf (see fig. 85). The fronds of such Ferns should be 
placed flat on the sand, or in a flat of leaf mold, so that the growth 
from the bulblets may be encouraged. 

Asplenium bulbiferum, Gymnogramma, Cystopteris bulbiferum and 
Polystichum angulare var. prolifera produce bulblets. Pteris 
(Doryopteris) palmata produces Httle plantlets at the base of the 
frond. 

FERN PROPAGATION BY TIP LAYERS 

In propagating Camptosorus rhizophyllus, the ^^alking Fern; 
Asplenium ebonoides and pinnatifidum: Adianium caudatum and 
Edgworthi, the tips of the fronds should be pegged down to the soil, 
where they take root readily. 

FERN PROPAGATION BY TUBERS 

Nephrolepis exaltata var. tuberosa produces tubers beneath the 
soil which may be used to increase the plants. 

FERN PROPAGATION BY TOP LAYERS 

The tree Ferns, such as Alsophila and Cyathea, may be propa- 
gated by Chinese layers as described on page 78 (see fig. 47). 



ORCHIDS 

Although most Orchids are not propagated, but are collected 
from the wild, they may be increased by division, cuttings and seeds. 
All Orchids are propagated at the beginning of their growing 
seasons. 



126 COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 

ORCHIDS FROM DIVISION AND CUTTINGS 

The rarer sorts bearing pseudo-bulbs, such as Cattleya, Odonio- 
glossum, Ccelogyne, may be propagated by division; the rhizome is 
cut partially through. Two or three pseudo-bulbs are best left 
beyond the growing point. The cut will cause the forcing of an 
adventitious bud upon the older wood. The old portion is then 
removed and potted separately. With Calanthe Veitchii the old 
bulbs may be removed when potting in Spring, and placed in pans 
of sphagnum moss until they start to grow, when they may be potted. 

Dendrobium canes may be cut into four to five-inch lengths or 
the whole cane may be laid on wet sphagnum. New growths will 
often start from the eyes. Aerides and Vanda are propagated by 
cuttings of the upper portion of the stem, which is about a foot long 
and supplied with roots. The old stems will usually produce shoots 
readily. Cypripedium plants are best divided between old growths 
and potted separately, leaving an older growth with each lead. 
Allow abundant moisture in starting. Masdevallia and alhed' 
genera are propagated like Cypripedium. 

ORCHIDS FROM SEED 

The seeds of Orchids are very fine and dust-like. Some pods- 
contain over 500,000 seeds. Great care is necessary for growing 
them successfully Several years ago it was discovered that the 
tiny seedhngs only grow when a certain fungus is present. This- 
fungus is found in the pots or baskets of most Orchids, so that it is- 
not difficult to obtain, and if a plant is kept in the seedhng frame^ 
the fungus usually spreads to the seedlings.* It takes patience 
to grow Orchids from seed because few of them bloom in less than 
five years; it may even require ten years. John E. Lagerf, a suc- 
cessful Orchid specialist, describes the sowing of Cattleya seeds as- 
follows: 

"Cattleyas, hke most other Orchids, are unable to fertilize 
themselves, and hence the fertifization must be accomplished by 
insects. The seed pods should be left on the plants until well 
ripened and when the pods show signs of splitting open, a string or 
piece of raffia should be tied around them to prevent water from 
getting inside. Leave the pods on the plants until they begin to 
crack open, when they should be removed frorn the plant, placed 
in a paper bag and stored in a dry place to prevent loss of seed' 
until ready for sowing. 

* Refer to Stand. Cyclop, of Hort. under Orchids for full account of seedlings. 

t Lager, John E. The Seeding of Cattleyas. Florists' Exchange, Nov. 25, 1916, p. 1226.. 



A FEW COMMERCIAL FLORISTS' PLANTS 127 




Fig. 86. Rhizome of Cattleya. Each year the Cattelya sends up a food-storage stem 

or pseudo-bulb, the growth arising from the scales at the base of the parent stem' 

ihe leaves have faUen from the stem at the right; the center stem may bloom, and 

the stem at the left is ready to produce leaf growth 



128 COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 

One way of sowing the seed is to sow on the surface of the com- 
post of the plants. Personally, from observations taken at several 
places where Orchids are raised from seed siu^cessfully, I believe it 
is better to use muslin or calico; that is, take a piece of this material 
and place in it a ball of sphajmum and press the whole into, say a 
3j^ inch or 4 inch pot, in such a way that the hi<;hest part is in the 
-center of the pot, sloping gradually toward the edges, and pressed 
in firmly. After this is done water thoroughly and allow to dry, 
4:ifter which the seed may be distributed over the surface of the 
goods. 

If a propagating case is available it may be used if the tempera- 
ture does not exceed 7.) degrees; otherwise place a piece of glass over 
the pot, put the pot on an inverted pot, the latter in a saucer of 
water to prevent insects from attacking the seed. Watering should 
at first be done only by immersing the pot up to within an inch of 
the rim, as any overhead watering would wash away the seed. 
Later on spraying with a very fine sprayer will be all right. Air 
must also be admilted carefully. After germination the little 
seedlings should nt)t be aUowed to get dry. When germination has 
taken place it may be noted by the seed's taking on a green appear- 
ance, after which they develop into green bodies showing a growing 
point; then roots appear. 

The tiny plants are now ready to be pricked off into pots, 
several in a pot. These should be prepared carefully, with ample 
drainage of broken pots and charcoal, over which good Osmunda 
libre should be placed, the top linished off with the same material 
mixed with a sprinkling of live sphagnum and cut up linely. Insert 
the little plants in holes a (juartcr of an inch apart and spray the 
whole with a line sprayer to settle the plants in position. Great 
<?are should now be exercised to prevent the plants from damping-off, 
through excessive moisture or too close an atmosphere. A con- 
stant, genial moisture and the admittance of air in moderation; in 
short, a constant attention is what is now required. Later on, when 
the little plants begin to send forth their leaves, they may be 
transferred to small one inch pots, a plant in each." 

POINSETTIAS 

The Poinsettia produces an abundance of milky juice; such 
plants are more diflicult to root than some others. Two sorts of 
cuttings may be made of Poinsett ias, hardwood and softwood. 

In making the dormant wood cuttings the plants, after flower- 
ing, are placed under the bench of a warm house and gradually 



A l\:\\ (JOMMI^KGIVL I'LOllISTS' IMANTS 129 

allowed tx) ripen by withholding water. During March the canes are 
cut in to four inch lengths, and after the milk has stopped flowing, 
the cuttings are washed in warm water and dipped in powdered 
charcoal. Place in a mod(;rately dry propagating bench at a 
temperature of 0.5 d(;grees. As soon as roots have started the 
cuttings should be; potted in thumb pots. 

For making softwood cuttings, the plants are started in April. 
Shake the soil from the roots of the old plants and pot in smaller 
pots. The storage roots will so(m cause the growth of good cuttings. 
When several inches long, the cuttings are taken with a heel. They 
may be rooted in the sand bench or potted immediately and placed 
in a close propagating case. Cuttings may be taken all Spring and 
Summer; the earlier cuttings will give the taller plants. 

ROSES 

Seed. The various botanical species of Roses may be propa- 
gated by seed because they breed true. Horticultural varieties must 
be propagated by some other method. 

Collect the seeds when ripe and pound them from the fruits, 
allowing the fruits to ferment; then the mass is washed and the 
seeds separated. They arc sown immediately or else stratified. 
Cover the seed with sand instead of soil. Rosa blanda, R. canina, 
R. Carolina, R. cirmamomea, R. hispida, R. Hugonis, R. humilis, 
R. lutea, R. multijlora, R. riilida, R. pisocarpa, R. rubiginosa, R. 
rubrifolia, R. rugosa, R. setigera, R.spinosissima and R. Wichuraiana 
are especially grown from seed. 

Hardwood cutting:^,. Most Briars, Climbers and Polyanthus 
may be propagated by hardwood cuttings. The canes should be 
cut into 5 inch to inch lengths and buried in sand during Winter 
and set out in Spring. (See p. 52.) 

Softwood cuUirigs of outdoor Roses. Pot up such Roses as are 
needed for propagation, using one- or two-year-old plants. Store 
away in coldframes. About the holidays the plants should be brought 
into the houses. Wh(m the; growth is about to bloom, just when 
the buds show color, the flowering stems may be cut into one- or 
two-eye cuttings. These cuttings should then be placed in sand 
to root. Pot in two inch pots as soon as roots are a half inch long. 
The large potted plants will furnish cutting material for the whole 
Winter and Spring. 

This method is used especially in propagating Teas, Hybrid 
Teas, Hybrid Perpetuals, Climbers, Polyanthus, and others not 
coming true to seed. 



130 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 




Fig. 88 



Fig. 87. 
Fig. 88. 



A two-eye Rose cutting. The cut at the base has been made through an 
eye. One eye is placed in the sand 

A one-eye Rose cutting. The leaf area has been reduced and the cut at 
the base is through an eye 



INDOOR CUTTINGS OF COMMERCIAL ROSES 



Cuttings of greenhouse Roses are taken from the middle to the 
end of January. Most growers prefer to use cuttings which have 
been so made that the cut at the base is through an eye, two other 
eyes being left on the cutting (see fig. 87). It is, however, admis- 
sible to make cuttings with only one eye when stock is scarce, but 
the plants do not develop so rapidly (see fig. 88). Many growers 



A FEW COMMERCIAL FLORISTS' PLANTS 131 

in cutting the crop for sale allow longer stubs than necessary; these 
stubs are later removed for propagating wood. 

Bhnd wood, or non-flowering wood, is produced on many plants 
which seems to be just as good for use in propagation as the flower- 
ing wood. 

The best temperature for rooting Roses is 55 degrees for the 
overhead and 60 degrees for the sand. Care should be taken in 
watering so that too cold water is not used because black spot is apt 
to result. 

Roses root in about 30 days, depending upon the variety and 
the temperatures. When the roots are about a half inch long the 
cuttings are potted. The deeper 23/^-inch Rose pot is preferred to 
the standard pot. A httle manure may be used for the first potting 
soil. 

Summer Cuttings. Cuttings may be taken from plants grown 
indoors and are made during late Spring, Summer or early Autumn 
and placed in warm beds until rooted, when they are potted and 
grown to proper size under glass. They are hardened ofl^ and go 
through the Winter in dormant or semi-dormant condition. 
The Teas and Hybrid Teas should not be allowed to freeze or be- 
come perfectly dried out. "The claim made for it is that all un- 
naturalness of forcing out of growing season is eliminated, both 
in production of wood and growth of plant".* Many varieties 
as for example, Frau Karl Druschki, are easy to root by this 
method, although difiicult when cuttings are taken in Winter. 



GRAFTING AND BUDDING ROSES 

Roses are often grafted because some of the varieties are 
difficult to root from cuttings. By graftage, other varieties 
are improved in growth, yield of bloom, and earliness. The best 
stocks are perpetually active, and the plants, being furnished with 
a good root system, are caused to bloom at a younger age. 



ROSE STOCKS 

In considering the stock for the Rose one more desired char- 
acteristic should be added to those given on page 88 ; the stock for 
greenhouse Roses should be perpetual growing. 



♦Good, John M. SpringBeld Roses. American Rose Annual, 1917, 2d ed., p. 51. 



132 COMMERCIAL PLAN! PROPAGATION 

MAPSETTI STOCK 

The IVIanetti is a form of the China Rose. It is obtained from 
France and Scotland, but many do not hke the French-g:rown 
Manetti because it is not as well graded as Scotch, although 
French is cheaper. The Manetti is not an ideal stock, for although 
it is perpetual growing, vigorous, and responds to fertilizer readily, 
it suckers badly. 

CANINA STOCK 

The Canina stock is used in England, although it is not good 
here. Many of our garden Roses are imported and are often 
budded on Rosa canina; but they do not succeed because they 
have a tendency to stand still in December to February. 

Standard or tree Roses are budded upon Canina. Seedling 
Canina have a deep root system, making them less liable to drought 
injury 

Ezon Kempenaar, before the Newport Horticultural Society, 
February 8, 1916, described the method of growing R. canina stock 
from seed: 

"The ripe seed pods are collected in September; those from strong 
shoots are best. 

Two weeks after gathering the pods are placed in a barrel and 
stirred about with a stout stick until all broken up; water is added 
which brings the refuse and infertile seeds to the surface, which is 
skimmed off, leaving only the fertile seeds which are taken and 
thoroughly incorporated with sand and are placed in boxes, which 
are then buried in the open ground about 10 inches below^ the 
sm-face, where they remain until Spring. They are then sown in 
beds just as soon as the ground is workable. About May 1 the 
seedhngs will begin to make their appearance, and as soon as large 
enough are transplanted in rows from 4 inches to 5 inches apart, 
and the following Spring are planted out in nursery rows 18 inches 
apart and G inches between the plants ; at transplanting the tops are 
cut back, leaving only three or four eyes." 

CAROLINA STOCK 

The Carolina Rose is a native and is adapted for low, damp 
ground and for ordinary conditions it suffers from drought, making 
it useless under outdoor conditions because of our hot and dry 
Summers. It is not very useful under glass because it has a 
period of rest. 

MULTIFLORA STOCK 

R. muUiflora makes an excellent stock, for it is hardy, vigorous. 



A FEW COMMERCIAL FLORISTS' PLANTS 



133 



and does not sprout from the roots. It is, however, difficult to 
obtain and the roots are subject to attacks of the nematode, or eel 
worm. It is propagated by hardw^ood cuttings. 

SETIGERA STOCK 

W riting of R. setigera, Joseph Aleehan says: 

"Some of the Southern nurserymen already use it, and find it a 
better one than the Alanetti in their soil, and it does not sucker. 
It is fairly well known here, and those familiar with it know what a 
strong, vigorous grower it is. There is no question of its hardiness 
at all, being a northern Rose; it propagates readily from cuttings 
and seeds; and if one had a stock of it, unsold for grafting or budding 
purposes, it is still salable for planting for its beauty. Those not 
familiar with it will have an idea of its character when told it is the 
parent of the old climbing Rose, Prairie Queen." 



BUDDING ROSES 



Manetti stocks growing in the field are shield budded in July, 
when an active eye is used, or in August, using a dormant eye. 




Fig. 89. Standard Roses. The various Hybrid Teas, Teas and Hybrid Perpetuals 

are successfully budded or grafted upon upright stocks of R. canina, R. rugosa and 

other shrubby sorts. Such plants are called Standard Roses 



134 COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 

The early buds will start growth immediately. It will be Spring 
before the August bud grows. (See page 99.) 

Many Hybrid Teas, Hybrid Perpetuals, and Tea Roses for 
•outdoor use are budded rather then grafted. 

GRAFTING TO INCREASE YIELD 

If more growers reahzed the increase in yield, due to grafting, 
more would attempt to graft their own Roses. Alexander Mont- 
gomery, Jr.,* writes: "It seems to be the general opinion, among 
those who had never grown grafted stock, that the superiority over 
own-root is chiefly during the early Autumn months. In order 
to dispel any such notion, I shall give the figures of the cut by 
months from a house of own-root Roses, and also from the same 
house planted with grafts. While these figures do not take into 
consideration the quality of the flowers, still, assuming that the 
grades are at least equal, (and I believe it is generally admitted 
that they are,) they present evidence which ought to satisfy the most 
skeptical. 

Month Own Root Grafted 

August 6,899 8,653 

September 11,317 20,950 

October 11,614 9,325 ^ 

November 10,373 16,558 

December 5,829 8,503 

Januarv : 7,277 10,653 

February 4,958 6,775 

March 7,634 9,997 

April 10,009 13,602 

; May 13,834 20,813 

; June 12,991 16,624 

Total 102,735 142,453 

This is an interesting record for several reasons. It shows that 
the same bench space produced forty per cent more flowers on 
grafted than on own-root plants, a real money difl'erence. The 
increase is well distributed through the season, the month of 
December showing an increase of fifty per cent, as compared with 
the own-root stock." 

Some growers beheve that Mrs. George Shawyer should not 
be grafted because the Manetti does not seem to push it. 

GRAFTING CASE 

The smaller growers who have refrained from going to the trouble 
of grafting, could easily build a small frame, which will be handy 

♦Montgomery, Alexander, Jr., History and Culture of Grafted Roses for Forcing. 



A FEW COMMERCIAL FLORISTS' PLANTS 



135 



for many other uses. Most Rose grafting cases are built like a 
small even-span greenhouse over a greenhouse bench. 

E. G. Hill has built his grafting cases so that the top is flat 
and merely covered by panes of overlapping glass. The case should 
be l'-2 to 15 inches high and divided into sections, each large enough 
for one day's grafting. 

A simple case may be made by building up the sides of a bench 
and covering with a hotbed sash hinged to the side of the bench. 
Such cases should be tight and perfectly controlled. A uniform 
temperature of 80 degrees is maintained. A layer of coal ashes 
which is kept moist will supply the humidity for the early growth of 
the grafts. 




Fij 



Fig. 90 



. 90. Rose stock cut ready for grafting From Holmes Com. Rose Culture, p. 36 
Fig, 91. Rose cion for grafting. From Holmes Com. Rose Culture, p. 33 

(See page 136) 



PREPARATION FOR GRAFTING 



The Manet ti is received in December and potted in 2>^ inch 
pots. Pot firmly in a good Rose soil and place in a house with a 
temperature of 50 degrees. Some growers place the pots under 
the Carnation benches. They are syringed twice a day to soften 
the wood, causing them to start to grow more uniformly. They 
should be examined at regular intervals to find when the white roots 
have weU started. Then they are grafted. Cions should be 
selected which are of the same sort as the wood used for cuttings. 



136 COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 

GRAFTING OPERATIONS 

The splice graft (see figs. 61, 90 and 91) is used, by wliich method 
the stocks are cut off an inch from the soil with a long slanting cut 
and the cion is prepared with a similar oblique cut. The cion is 
then placed on the stub of the stock with cambium layers in con- 
tact on one side, at least, and firmly tied with raffia. 

As soon as the plants are ready they are placed in the grafting 
case; the sashes are tightly closed and left so for about five days 
unless too much moisture has accumulated ; then open the sash the 
thickness of a pot label. At the end of this time the case is opened 
gradually for five or ten minutes a day; a httle longer time for 
ventilation being allowed each day. 

It will be three weeks before the grafts are sufficiently knitted 
to permit their being taken from the frames. They may be placed 
on a shallow bench where air is circulating and where syringing 
may be done from both sides. 

RAPID PROPAGATION OF NEW VARIETIES 

The following notes are from Air. G. W. Ofiver : 
"When, as a result of crossing two varieties, a good seedling is 
secured and tested, the next problem to present itself is to get up 
a large stock in as short a period as possible so that it can be put 
on the market. There are various ways to accomphsh this result, 
but there is only one way to get the maximum number of plants 
so that cuttings can be rooted for distribution. What is needed is 
a very quick vegetating stock. The Manetti is too slow for this 
purpose and it cannot very well be used in Winter. There is a 
variety introduced by the office of Seed and Plant Introduction 
(No. 22,449, United States Department of Agriculture), wliich is 
better for this work than the Manetti and others. This plant is a 
rampant grower. The bud graft takes quickly on the bases of 
young stock plants, and when the roots are in good growing condi- 
tion fine unions are the result. In a few weeks we get growths a 
foot or more in length. The growing point is then nipped out and 
the wood firms up quickly, so that bud wood can be secured for 
further propagation. To depend upon cuttings alone for increasing 
a new variety is too slow. Bud grafting gives much quicker results. 
The bud graft* is simply a piece of matured wood with a single bud. 
Take a bud stick; remove the leaves and the prickles, if present, from 
about one-half inch from the stem. To remove the bud grafts 
place the edge of the knife blade about three-sixteenths of an inch 

* This is a modification of the side graft, (See p. 93 and fig. 60.) 



A FEW COMMERCIAL FLORISTS' PLANTS 137 

below the opposite side of the leaf joint, cut diagonally down and 
through the stem about three-quarters of an inch, then turn the bud 
stick and remove a small shce diagonally from the base of the bud 
graft which, after cutting from the bud stick, is now ready for insert- 
ing into the stock. To prepare the incision in the stock for the 
reception of the bud graft, simply make a diagonal cut long enough 
to receive the bud graft, placing the long side of the cut surface 
of the bud graft so that it will unite perfectly with the inner cut 
surface of the stock. In a warm house the union will be perfect 
in two or three weeks. The top of the stock can then be removed 
gradually. As soon as the ripened shoots are ready they, in their 
turn, are used in propagating." 

Root cuttings. The fleshy rooted sorts, as R. gallica, especially 
the Moss Roses, R. damascena, R. nitida, R. rugosa, and R. blanda,. 
may be propagated by root cuttings. Cut up the roots in Autumn 
and-store in sand. Plant out in Spring. 

Layers. Dr. Mulford,* writes that R. Hugonis is difficult to 
grow from cuttings and is therefore grown by layers. Let them 
get thoroughly rooted before cutting from parent plant. Mound 
layers are best. 

For many of the traihng roses, hke R. Wichuraiana, continuous 
layers are useful. 

Trenching method. A modification of layering is describecJ 
by C. D. Beadle, t Superintendent of the Biltmore Estate. 
Many of the Briar Roses (like Persian Yellow, Austrian 
Copper, Penzance Sweet Briars), Damask Roses (including the 
two-color and striped Roses), and many other types are readily 
propagated by the trenching process. The plants of the- 
varieties to be propagated are planted out in nursery rows in 
an almost flat position leaning one against another. The plants 
are then almost covered with soil, which soil may be gradually 
filled in as the shoots advance in growth. At the close of the first 
growing season, the trenched plants are dug and the vertical shoots, 
are cut from the horizontal branches at their base. Many of the 
shoots will have rooted, but this is not necessary. The shoots will, 
however, be covered with "root-bark," a tissue differing from the 
shoots above the soil. The cuttings, rooted or unrooted, as the 
case may be, are planted in nursery rows, or in cutting-beds, and 
grown for several seasons. 

Seedling inarch. (For discussion of a method of getting seed* 
Ungs to bloom quickly see page 106, also see figs. 77-79.) 

* Mulford, F. L. Roses for the Home. Farmers' Built. 750, p. 27. 
fBeadle, C. D. The Trenching Method of Rose Propagation. American Rose Annual^. 
1917, 2d ed., p. 51. 



138 COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 

VIOLET PROPAGATION 

Rooted cuttings of the Violet taken in February result in good, 
€lean stock for the next year. They are placed in the sand bench 
and treated as softwood cuttings. Violets are, however, most 
easily propagated by division, but there is more danger of spreading 
disease. By the latter method the plants are divided so that each 
cutting will have a few roots and a piece of soft stem and a growing 
shoot. Flats are filled with soil in which the cuttings are placed. 
They are left for several days in a shady place, usually under a green- 
house bench, after which they are placed in frames until the 
season warms up, when they are set in the field about 10 inches apart 
in the row for singles, and 8 inches apart for the doubles. The 
rows for convenient cultivation should be 15 to 18 inches apart. 
Constant Summer cultivation results in good plants. 

IMPROVING THE VIOLET CROP 

The various varieties of Violets seem adapted to certain locahties 
only, and it is highly advisable for each grower to select the variety, 
and strain of that variety, which meets his conditions best. Dr. 
Galloway* suggests a method of doing this. The grower should 
go over his crop, attempting to find those plants which give the most 
flowers, typically colored, long stemmed, and disease resistant. 
Suppose one hundred plants are selected, place a stake at the side 
of each and tie a large shipping tag to the stake upon which the 
daily picking may be written. Some plants may be found to give 
^0 flowers; another may produce 150 flowers; some wiU bloom 
most in December and January and others in March. Select the 
strain which produces the most flowers when they are worth the 
most. At the end of the first year eliminate all plants not producing 
ninety flowers. Each plant will give ten good cuttings, so that if 
fifty plants are selected the first year, five hundred good plants 
are assured for the second. Keep the selected plants labeled. 
The details of this method can be improved upon by the ingenuity 
of the grower. 



*Galloway, B. T. Commercial Violet Culture. 



i 



CHAPTER VII 



HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS 



In this list of herbaceous perennials are included the commoner sorts 

of plants, not woody, which live more than one year. They are all 

genera of plants which are hardy in the Northern States. The writer 

acknowledges the help of Professor David Lumsden in preparing this list. 

t Grown from seed usually not blooming until the second year, 

* — Bloom first year from seed, but the perennials are not at their best 

until the second year. 
A — Some species are annuals which, obviously bloom the first year 

from seed. 
D — IMay be propagated by division. 
E — Everlasting or Immortelle flowers, 
c — Grasses. 

K — May be propagated by suckers or stolons. 
B — iNIay be propagated by root cuttings. 
s — ^lay be propagated by stem cuttings. 



D Acanthus! 


D Asphodelus 


G,D Cortaderia 


D Achillea* 


s,D Aster* 


D Corydalisf 


D Aconitum* 


s,D Aubrietiaf 


A,s,D Delphinium* 


s,D Acorusf 


D Auricula* 


A,s,D Dianthusf 


s,D Actaeaf 


D Baptisiaf 


R,D Dicentra 


D Adonis* 


D Bellis* 


D Dictamnus 


Agrostemma 


R,K,D Bocconia* 


Digitalis t 


(See Lychnis) 


D Boltoniaf 


R,D Dodecatheon 


s,D Ajugaf 


A,D Boragof 


D Doronicum* 


D Althaea (certain 


s,D Callirhoef 


D Drabaf 


strains*) 


A,D Campanula t 


D Dracoceph- 


A.s.D Alyssum* 


s,D Caryopterisf 


alumf 


s,D Amsoniaf 


s Cassia t 


D Echinacea! 


A,D,R Anchusaf 


D Catananche* 


D Echinopst 


D Anemone t 


A,s,D Centaureaf 


D Epimedium 


D Anthemis* 


D Centranthusf 


D Erigeronf 


D Aquilegiaf 


A,D Cerastium* 


D Eryngiumf 


D.R Arabis* 


s,R Ceratostigmaf 


s,D Eupatoriumf 


s,D Arenariaf 


Chelone* 


D Funkia 


D Armeriaf 


A,s,D Chrysanthe- 


A,R,s,D Gaillardia* 


T^ ArniPfj 


mum! 


D Galegat 


U J. \ 1 11A\^CI 

4 a • • I 


D Cimicifugaf 


A,D Galium* 


A,D Artemisia T 

A 1 


s,D Clematis t 


D Gauraf 


G,D Arundo 


D Clintonia 


D Gentianaf 


D,R Asclepiasf 


A,D Coreopsis* 


D Geumf 


D Asperula* 


R,D Coronillaf 


G,D Gyneriumf 

139 



140 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



A,s,R,D Gypsophila* 


K,s,D Mentha t 


R,K Romneyaf 


D Haemadorum 


D ^Nlertensiaf 


A,s,D Rudbeckiaf 


D Hedysarumt 


s Mesembryan- 


A,s,D Salvia* 


S,D Heleniumf 


themumf 


D Sanguinariaf 


A,K,s,D Helianthiis* 


R,s,D Monardaf 


s,R,D Saponariaf 


D Helleborusf 


A,s,D Myosotis* 


A,K,D Saxifragat 


D Hepaticaf 


A,K,s,D (Enotheraf 


A,D Scabiosat 


D Heracleum* 


A,D Papaver (Ice- 


s,D Sedumf 


s,D Hesperisf 


land)* 


s,D Senecio* 


s,D Heucheraf 


D Pentstemonf 


D Sidalceaf 


s,D Hyssopusf 


R,D Peony 


A,s,D Silenef 


A,s,D Iberis* 


G,A,D Phalarisf 


D Silphinmt 


D Inula t 


s,D Phlomist 


D Sisyrinchium 


D Iris (California 


A,R,s,D Phlox 


s,D Solidagot 


species must 


s,D Physostegiaf 


D Stachyst 


be from seed) 


D Platycodon* 


E,A Staticef 


D Liatrist 


Plumbago (see 


R,D Stokesiaf 


A,D Linaria* 


Ceratostigma) 


s,D Tanacetum 


A,D Linum* 


R,D Podophyllum! 


D Thalictrumf 


A,D Lobelia* 


D Polemoniumf 


R,D Thermopsisf 


s Lotus t 
A,D Lupinusf 


D Polygonatum 
R,s,D Polygonum t 


s,D Tradescantia t 
D TroUius 


A,s,D Lychnis* 


D Valeriana t 


s,D Lysimachia 


D PotentiUat 


s,D Verbascumt 


s,D Ly thrum t 


D Primula t 


s,D Veronica t 


D Mandragoraf 


s,D Ranunculus t 


D Violas* 


s,D Menispermum 


D Rheum t 


s,R,D Yuccaf 



ANNUALS 



E Acroclinium* 
s Ageratum* 
s Alonsoa* 

Amaranthus* 
s .Vntirrhinum* 

-\rctotis* 

Argemone* 

Balsam* 

Brachycome* 

Browallia* 

Cacalia* 

Calendula* 

Callistephus (China 
Aster) * 

Celosia* 

Cerinthe* 

Clarkia* 

Cleome* 

CoUinsia* 

Coreopsis (Calliop- 
sis)* 



Cosmos* 

Datura* 

Diascia* 

Dimorphotheca * 

Emilia* 

Erysimum* 

Eschscholtzia* 

Gilia* 

Godetia* 
E Gomphrena* 
E Helichrysum* 
E Helipterum* 
G Hordeum* 

Layia* 

Madia* 
s Mathiola (Stocks)* 

Mentzelia* 

Mimulus* 

Nasturtium* 

Nemesia* 



Nemophila* 

Nicotiana* 

Nigella* 
G Pennisetum* 
s Petunia* 

Phacelia* 
A Poinsettia* 

Portulaca* 

Reseda (Mignon- 
ette)* 
E Rhodanthe* 

Ricinus* 

Salpiglossis* 

Sanvitalia* 

Schizanthus* 

Sweet Peas* 

Tagetes (Marigold)* 

Torenia* 
s Verbena* 
E Xeranthemum* 

Zinnia* 



BULBOUS PLANTS 



141 



BULBOUS PLANTS AND THEIR PROPAGATION 



B — Bulblets 

c — Cormels 
Co — Corm 

D — Natural division 

o — Offsets 

R — Rhizomes which may be 
divided 

s — Seed 
Sx — ^^ estern species, by seed 
only 



T — Cuttings 
Tu — Tubers and tuberous roots 

*^Sometimes grafted to pre- 
serve rare or weak va- 
rieties 

tSpring flowering, out of doors 

i— A\ inter flowering 

X — Summer flowering, hardy 

z — Summer flowering, not 
hardy 



Achimenes r,t,z 
Agapanthus d.z 
Allium s,o,B4,t 
Alstroemeria s,d,z 
Amaryllis s,d,o,J 
AmorphophaUus o,s,z 
Anemone s,D,+,t 
Anomatheca (see Lap- 

eyrousia) 
Antholyza d,z 
Apios Tu,z 

Ariscema co, or Tu,s,t 
Arum o,s,| 
^abiana c,s,+ 
Begonia, tuberous s, 

Tu.z 

Bessera o,z 
JBloomeria co,s,t 
Boussingaultia b, z 
Brodicea s, o,+ 
Bulbocodium D,t 
Caladium tu,z 
<Ilalochortus Co,D,t 
Camassia s,d,x 
Canna r,z 
Chionodoxa o, s,t 
CUntonia D,t 
Clivia D.z 
Colchicum d,s,x 
Convallaria R,t 
Cooperia d.z 
Crinum d,z 
-Crocosmia o,s,z 
Crocus D,c.s. t 
dro\\Ti Imperial D,t 
Dahlia*, s,d,t.tu (see 

p. 75),z 
Dracunculus tu,o,J 
Eranthis d, t 



Eremurus d,s.x 
Erythronium o.Sx.j 
Eucharis o,z 
Freesia o,s(2-3 yrs.),t 
Fritillaria o, X 
Funkia d,r,x 
Galanthus d, f 
Galtonia s,d,z 
Geissorhiza co.d 
Gesneria s.t 
Gladiolus (see pp. 73- 

74), c,c,s,z 
Gloriosa d of tu.o.z 
Gloxinia s(see p. 26) 
Helleborus R,D,t 
Hyacinth (see p. 66), 

Hymenocallis o,z 
Imantophyllum (see 

Clivia) 
Iris, bulbous D,|,t 
Iris, rhizomatous r,s, 

. t,x _ 
Iris, Californian 

species sx,x, 
Ismene (see Hymeno- 
callis) 
Ixia o,X 
Ixiolirion D,t 
Kniphofia s (a strain 
Burpee has de- 
veloped) ,d,x 
Lachenalia D,s,t 
Lapeyrousia co,d,x 
Leucojum D,o,tx, 
Lilium (see pp. 39-71) 

B. ttx 

Lily of the Valley r, t 



Lvcoris D.z 

Milla D,z 

Montbretia (see Tri- 
tonia) 

Moraea co.d.z 

Muscari o,s,t 

Naegelia o,t 

Narcissus D,|,t (see p, 
71) 

Narthecium r,x 

Nemastylis d.z 

Nerine o,z 

Ornithogalum o.t 

Oxalis D,o,i,z 

Pancratium o.s.z 

Polygonatum r.d,t 

Puschkinia d.I 

Ranunculus s.D.t 

Richardia (see Zante- 
deschia) 

Scilla o,|,t 

Smilacina R,t 

Sparaxis D,t 

Spiraea (Astilbe) D,s,t 

Sprekelia D,t,z 

Tigridia c,s,z 

TriUium R,s,t 

Triteleia s,o,t 

Tritoma (see Kni- 
phofia) 

Tritonia D,t,x 

Tuberose o,z 

Tulip (see p. 71), t,t 

Vallota D,o 

Viola (certain species 
r),s 

Watsonia c,D,t,z 

Zantedeschia D,o,s,t,z 

Zephyranthes D,s,t,z 




CHAPTER VIII 



TREE AND SHRUB LIST 



Joseph 



Many of these notes are derived from those made by Mr. 
Meehan in The Florists' Exchange 

ABELIA. 

Cuttings. Hard and half-ripened wood. 
Layers. In greenhouse best. 

ABIES. Firs. 

Seeds. Keep dry during Winter, sow in Spring. 

are infertile. 
Grafting. Grafted on seedlings, use veneer graft. 

house in late Summer. Use only upright growing shoots for cions> 

others do not make shapely trees. 

ABUTILON. Flowering Maple. 

Seeds. Sow in March. Will bloom in Autumn. 

Cuttings. Hard or soft wood. 

Grafting. Any strong growing species may be used upon which? 

to graft the trailing sort, A. Megapotamicum, in order to makejaj 

standard plant. 



Many of the seeds- 
Grafting in green- 




Fig. 92. A Maple key 



ACER. Maple. Box Elder. 

Seeds. Many of the species grow nicely from seed sown as soon a» 
ripe. 

Cuttings. Some species root from hardwood cuttings, A. negundo, 
especially. 

Layers. A. rufinerve, A. rubrum, A. cappadocicum {colchicurny 
var. rubrum, A. platanoidesvar. Schivedleri, A . platanoides yaT.ghbosct 
and A. palmatum, are best propagated by cutting down a tree- 
and encouraging long shoots to grow which are layered. Some- 
times it is not necessary to cut down the trees to induce th& 
growths. It takes some Maples two years to root. 

142 



TREE AND SHRUB LIST 145 

ACER — Continued 

Grafting and Budding. Varieties are grafted or budded on types^ 
for example, A. saccharinum var Wieri is budded on its species 
A. saccharinum; Schwedler's Maple, and A. globosa are grafted 
or budded on A. platanoides; A. palmatiim (polymorphum) 
atropurpureum and dissectum grafted on A. polymorphum; A 
negundo var. variegata grafted on A. negundo. Two-year-old seed- 
lings are best. Grafted in April. Budded in August. The Japanese 
Maples are usually grafted in the greenhouse. 

Inarching. Many of the Japanese Maples are inarched on seedlings. 
Best done from June to September. 

ACTINIDIA. Japan Gooseberry. 
Seeds. Sown in Spring. 

Cuttings. Best use green shoots in Summer. Roots form readily^ 
but buds are tardy to grow. 

ADENOCARPUS. 

Cuttings. Unripe wood in greenhouse. 

iCSCULUS. Horsechestnut. Buckeye. 

Seeds. Many species grow readily if sown as soon as ripe. JEL 

carnea (rubicunda) rarely seeds. 
Root Cuttings. yE. parviflora is so propagated. 
Budding. jE. carnea (rubicunda) and ^. hippocasianum var. flore 

pleno are budded on jE. hippocasianum in July or veneer graifted 

under glass during August upon year-old seedlings. 
Division. Some of the dwarf sorts are best propagated by division 

of the crowns. 

AILANTHUS. Tree of Heaven. 

Seeds. Preserve during Winter, sown shallow in Spring. 
Suckers when roots are injured. 

Root Cuttings. Propagate from pistillate trees; female trees have 
bad odor. 

AKEBIA. 

Cuttings. Hard wood, or soft wood in Summer. 
Layers. Of hard or soft wood. 

ALBIZZIA. 

Seeds. Sow seed as soon as ripe. 

ALNUS. Alder. 

Seeds. Sow in Spring. Cover lightly. Keep moist. 

Cuttings. Ripe wood. 

Grafting and Budding. Bud or graft varieties on the type. A. 
firma is best grafted on A. gluiinosa. The Heart-leaved Alder 
(A. cordifolia) is useful as stock for those sorts to be grown on a 
dry soil. 

AMELANCHIER. June Berry. Shad Bush. 
Seeds. Sow as soon as ripe. 
Cuttings. Hard wood. 
Root Cuttings. Bury in sand in cellar during Winter, plant in 

Spring horizontally. 
Budding and Grafting. Dwarf sorts grafted on tall stocks. 

Crataegus may be used as stock. 



lU COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 

AMORPHA. False Indigo. 

Seeds. Sow seed as soon as ripe. This is commonest method. 
Cuttings. Hard wood cuttings. Take in Autumn. 

AMPELOPSIS. Boston Ivy. Virginia Creeper. Woodbine. 

Seeds. Sow seeds as soon as ripe or keep in moist sand until Spring. 
Cuttings. Hard wood or soft wood in Summer. 
Layers. Simple layers used. 

ANDROMEDA. 

Seeds. Very fine. Sow in pots in Spring, place in frames in mix- 
ture of sphagnum, fine loam; cover with glass. Germinate in two 
months but grow slowly. 

Cuttings. Soft wood in Summer. 

Layers. Root slowly, 

ARALIA. 

Seeds. Good; when they can be obtained. 

Root Cuttings. In Spring. About 2 to 3 inches long; set out in 

rows or take in Autumn and store in sphagnum moss. 
Grafting. Some of the exotic sorts require grafting upon strong 

growers. Done in greenhouse. 

ARBUTUS^ Strawberry Tree. 

Seeds. Sown in Autumn or early Spring. 
Cuttings. Half-ripe in Autumn placed in peaty soil. 
Grafting and Budding. Budded on seedling stock of the European 
species A. Unedo. Veneer graft used, 

ASIMINA. Pawpaw. Custard Apple. 

Seeds. Self sow. Or stratify and sow in Spring. 
Layers, In Autumn. 
Suckers when roots are injured. 

Grafting. A. triloba seedlings are used as stock for the weaker 
growers and varieties. 

AUCUBA. Gold-dust Tree. 

Seeds. Sown soon after maturity. 

Cuttings. Green or half-ripe wood. 

Layers. Made of berried branches. 

Grafting. Varieties are often grafted on the type. 

AZALEA. 

Seeds, Sow seed when ripe. Use leaf mold and loam. Best sown 

in greenhouse. 
Cuttings. Half-ripe wood. Indoor grown plants root more easily 

than outdoor ones. It takes several years for cutting grown plants 

to bloom. 
Grafting. See Rhododendron, Veneer graft used indoors in the 

Summer. A. viscosa and A. nudi flora make excellent stocks; 

especially the first, which is the stronger grower. 
Layers. A. viscosa and A. amaena. Simple layers. Spring. 

BENZOIN (Lindera). Spice Bush. Wild AUspice. 
Seeds. Sow seeds as soon as ripe, using a peaty soil. 
Cuttings, Green wood, but are difficult to root. 



TREE AND SHRUB LIST 



145 



BERBERIS. Barberry. 

Seeds. Sow seeds as soon as ripe, sowing in a seed bed, covering 

bed with leaves during Winter. Keep seedlings in partial shade 

at first. Even the Purple-leaved Barberry comes true to seed. 
Cuttings. Readily propagated by green cuttings in June. The 

hard wood cuttings do not root readily. 
Grafting. Mr. Dunbar suggests grafting the rarer sorts on the 

Purple Barberry; the suckers are thus easily distinguished. 




Fig. 93. The seed cone of the Birch 



BETULA. Birch. (See fig. 93.) 

Seeds. Sow seeds as soon as ripe. If planting is deferred until 

Autumn poor germination results. 
Layers. The lower growing sorts may be layered. 
Budding and Grafting. Easily done on seedlings of B. nigra, 

the Red Birch ;B. lenta, the American Sweet Birch; ovB. papyrifera, 

the Paper Birch. 
B. Youngi pendula, B. pyramidalis, B. peridula, are budded chiefly, 

but may also be grafted. '<■ ' 

BIGNONIA. Trumpet Flower. 

Cuttings. Evergreen sorts best placed under bell jars to root. 

Layers. Simple layers used. 

Root Cuttings in Greenhouse. Of larger rooted sorts. 



U6 COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 

BLACKBERRY. 

Root Cuttings. FaU; about thickness of lead pencil. Cut iato 2 
to 3 inch lengths. Store in sand or sawdust until Spring. 

BLUEBERRY. (See Vaccinium.) 

BUDDLEIA. Summer Lilac. Butterfly Bush. 
Seeds. Sown under glass. 
Cuttings. Use either soft or hard wood cuttings. 

BUXUS. Box Tree. 

Seeds. Very slowly grown from seeds. 

Cuttings. Made of late growths taken in Winter, root by Spring; 

or younger wood may be rooted in Summer. Pot and grow in 

frames for a season. 
Division. Low growing, but old Box plants may be broken into 

small pieces. 

CALLICARPA. French Mulberry. 

Cuttings. Soft wood in Spring. Place under bell jar or with 
bottom heat. Hard wood cuttings also used. 

CALLUNA. Heather. 

(See Vaccinium; these shrubs could, no doubt, be propagated by 
the methods mentioned.) 
Cuttings. Green wood under glass. 

CALOPHACA. Lentil Shrub. 

Seeds. Sow in Spring. Give good ventilation. 

Grafting. The Laburnum {Cytisus vulgare) is used as stock for 

C. wolgarica in order to make graceful trees; the cions are inserted 

at height of six feet or more. 

CALYCANTHUS. Sweet Shrub. 

Calycanthus laevigatas is much sold as C. floridiis, but it does not have 
the fragrance. C. floridus rarely seeds; C. Icevigatus frequently pro- 
duces seeds. 

Cuttings. Soft wood in Summer or hard wood in Autumn. 

Root Cuttings. Bury roots in sand during Winter; toward Spring 
cut up into inch lengths and start in greenhouse. 

CAMELLIA. 

Cuttings. Matured young wood with bottom heat. Summer. 
Grafting. The single flowered stocks from seed or cuttings are best. 

CAMPHORA. Camphor. 

Seeds. Seeds ripen in Florida in early Winter and should be sown 
when ripe. 

CAMPSIS (Tecoma). Trumpet Creeper. 
Cuttings. Soft and hard wood. 
Root Cuttings. Of the C. radicans. 
Grafting. The yeUow flowered variety is grafted upon the type. 

CARAGANA. Siberian Pea Tree. 

Seeds. Keep until Spring before sowing, then soak in warm water 

48 hours. 
Grafting. C. arborescens seedlings are used as stocks. When five 

to six feet tall the stocks are worked with the weeping or pendulous 

sorts. 



TREE AND SHRUB LIST 147 

CARPINUS. Hornbeam. Blue Beech. 

Seeds. Sow as soon as ripe; seeds germinate very unevenly. Keep 

soil moist by covering bed. 
Grafting. Seedlings of C. caroliniana (americana) or C. hetulus 

are used for the cut-leaved and Oak-leaved sorts. 

CARYA. Hickory Nuts. 

Seeds. Sow in November or in early Spring, but keep in moist sand 
all Winter. 

Grafting. The various Caryas are often grafted on the Butternut 
or C cordiformis (amara) which is potted a year previously. Veneer 
or splice grafts are used. Baltet mentions using terminal bud 
grafting. After wrapping with twine and waxing, the graft is 
covered with a bag made of waxed paper. The bag serves to hold 
the moisture, preventing evaporation from the cion. 

CARYOPTERIS. Blue Spiraea. 

Seeds. Pick the seeds in Autumn. Sow in February. Pot seedlings . 
.Cuttings. Pot plants. Bring into heat in February. Take soft 
wood cuttings. 

CASTANEIA. Chestnut. Chinquapin. 

Seeds. C. pumila Chinquapin. Sow seed as soon as ripe. Squirrels 
and mice will eat the seed, so protect them. Sow in flats rather 
than seed bed, or keep in moist sand during Winter, sowing in 
Spring to avoid the pests. 

C. americana. Sow seeds as soon as ripe, or if kept till Spring 
they must be kept from drying out; if put in glass jar tightly 
corked they keep nicely. 
Grafting. Makes them fruit earlier. The grafting is done in the 
Spring, but not until trees are about to burst into leaf. Seedlings are 
grafted by whip grafting. No method meets with satisfactory 
results. The Chestnut may be propagated on the Oak. 

CASTANOPSIS. 

Seeds. Sow seeds as soon as ripe or keep moist until Spring, then sow 

CATALPA. Indian Bean. 

Seeds. Sow seeds in Spring. 

Cuttings. Made in Spring; set in nursery rows immediately. 

Grafting. C. Bungei (see fig. 94) and C. hignonioides are budded, 
or grafted on C. speciosa, late in season, at height of five to 
six feet. When grafting use the splice graft. When budded, the 
buds are placed on both sides of the stock. Cut bud sticks early 
and keep in cool, damp place until June, when bark lifts nicely. 

CEANOTHUS. New Jersey Tea. 
Seeds. Seeds sown in Spring. 
Cuttings. Either ripe or green wood. 

Root Cuttings. Made in Autumn, placed in flats of sandy soil to 
root. 



148 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



CEDRELA. 

Seeds. Grow readily. 
Cuttings. Hard wood with bottom heat. 

Root Cuttings. Cut down the growth if the first shoot by this 
method is not straight. 

CEDRUS. True Cedars. 
Seeds. Sown in Spring. 
Grafting. C. Deodara, the Deodar Cedar, and C. Lihani, the Cedar 

of Lebanon, best grafted on seedhngs of species or on C. atlantica, 

the Mt. Atlas Cedar. Use veneer graft. 

CELTIS. Nettle Tree. Sugar Berry. 
Seeds. Sow when ripe. 
Cuttings. Hard wood. 
Layers. Useful when possible to make. 
Grafting. Graft rarer roots on C. occidentaUs. 

CEPHALANTHUS. Button Bush. 
Seeds. Grow readily. 
Cuttings. Hard wood or green wood. 




Fig. 94. Catalpa Bungei. This type of tree is obtained by budding Catalpa Bungei 
upon C . speciosa (See page 147) , Hi«i»Hk.Mk>k<attiiLJri 



TREE AND SHRUB LIST 149 

CERCIDIPHYLLUM. 

Seeds. Keep moist until sown. 
Cuttings. Half-ripened shoots in Summer. 

Layers. Cut back old plants early in Spring to force long shoots, 
then bend ov er and root. Mix some sand in soil about the plants 
for better rooting. 
CERCIS. Judas Tree. Red Bud. 

Seeds. C. japonica and C. canadensis. Grow from seeds. Do not 
bother with cuttings. 

C. japonica is superior to C. canadensis. 
Layers. Mound. 
CHAMiJlCYPARIS. Cypress. White Cedar. 

(See Retinispora, which is similar.) 
CHILOPSIS. Desert Willow. 

Cuttings. Ripe wood under glass. 
CHIMONANTHUS. Chinese Allspice. 

Seeds. Self seeds where seeds ripen properly or sow in warm green- 
house. 
Layers. Spring; they root by Autumn. 
CHIONANTHUS. Fringe Tree. 

Seeds. Store seeds in damp sand. Sow in Spring. It will be a year 
before seedUngs appear. If preferred the seeds may be kept in 
flats of moist sand a whole year before sowing. 
Grafting. May be grafted on the White Ash (Fraxinus americana) 
or the European Ash {F. excelsior). This method is quicker than 
from seeds. May graft in greenhouse. 
CINNAMOMUM. (See Camphora). 
CISTUS. Rock Rose. 

Seeds. Seeds germinate nicely sown in Spring. 
Cuttings. Spring or late Summer. 

CITRUS TRIFOLIATA. Hardy Orange. 

Seeds. May be stored in moist sand and sown in Spring or sown in 

greenhouse. For Orange and Lemon see Orange. 
CLADRASTIS {Maackia). Yellow Wood. 

Seeds. Grow readily from seeds when they can be secured. 

Root Cuttings. C. linctoria. Roots dug in early Winter, cut into 

three inch lengths, kept in damp moss in cool place and started 

in pots indoors or in open ground. 
CLEMATIS. 

Seeds. When sown out of doors in Spring germinate in three months. 

Better store in sand as soon as ripe. Sown as soon as ripe in 

greenhouse place under greenhouse bench. 
Cuttings. C. coccinea and others. Soft wood cuttings in Summer. 

Internode cuttings when soft wood root best. 
Layers. Continuous layers are useful. 
Grafting. Large flowering sorts are grafted on C. flamniula or 

C. viticella. 

CLERODENDRON. 

Seeds. Sown when ripe. 
Cuttings. Nearly ripe wood. 

Root Cuttings. C trichotomum. In early Spring from pieces of 
root dug from around old plants. Use pieces two inches long. 



150 COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION i 

i 
^ 

CLETHRA. White Alder. Pepperidge. : 

Seeds. Sown in pans in sandy or peaty soil. j 

Cuttings. Green wood taken from forced plants in Spring. Use 

bottom heat. I 

Division. Of clumps. : 

COLUTEA. Bladder Senna. 

Seeds. Seed freely and grow readily. \ 

Cuttings. Hard wood. 

Grafted. Varieties grafted on C arborescens. 

CORNUS. Dogwood. 

Seeds. Do not germinate until second year. i 

Cuttings. All species with willowy, soft growth are propagated by : 

hard wood cuttings. Soft wood in Summer also. 
Budding and Grafting. C. florida var. rubra grafted on the type. 
Layers. Continuous layers may be made of many of the shrubby ; 

sorts. 

CORYLOPSIS. 

Seeds. Sown in Spring. 

Cuttings. Half-ripe wood in Summer under glass. i 

Grafting. Perhaps can be grafted on Witch Hazel in Winter in 

greenhouse. 

Few shoots are normally produced, so that cuttings and layers are 

slow. 

CORYLUS. Hazelnut. Filbert. 

Seeds. Seeds sown in Autumn or stratified until Spring. Seed grown • 

stock gives superior root system. , 

Layers. Purple-leaved sorts are propagated by this method. The ! 

old plants cut down and young shoots growing from this operation ; 

are layered. j 

Grafting and Budding. On the type, seldom done. i 

COTONEASTER. ' 

Seeds. Sow in Autumn or stratify. i 

Cuttings. Evergreen sorts best propagated by cuttings. j 

Grafting. Deciduous sorts are grafted on Quince or Hawthorn \ 
stock. 

CRATAEGUS. Hawthorn. Thorn Apple. : 

Seeds. Seeds gathered in Winter and stratified. | 

Cuttings. Cuttings of most by either hard or soft wood. j 

Budding. The doubles, especially, are budded on almost any 

American species such as C. coccinea or C. crus-galU. Bud in July. 

Hawthorns mature early in season. i 

CRYPTOMERIA. Japan Cedar. ! 

Cuttings. Half-ripe wood under glass in sand. ^ 

Grafting. Horticultural varieties are grafted. ' I 

CUNNINGHAMIA. Chinese Fir. ! 

Cuttings. Half-ripe wood in late Summer. 

CURRANTS. SeeRibes. j 



TREE AND SHRUB LIST 151 

CYDONIA. Quince. 

Cuttings. Hard wood in Autumn. 

Root Cuttings. Autumn or Winter. Cut up roots into pieces 

three inches long. Keep in cellar until Spring, then plant in rows 

so that top of cuttings is on level with soil. 
Grafting. Use varieties on types, especially the strong growing 

_Angers and Fontenay. 

CYTISUS. Scotch Broom, also called Genista. 
Seeds. Sown in May. 
Cuttings. Tender shoots planted in enclosed frames or under bell 

jar. 
Grafting. The stronger growing sorts are used as stocks for the 

smaller and trailing species. 

DAPHNE. 

Seeds. Sow seeds as soon as ripe. 
Cuttings. D. cneoriim. Half-ripe wood. 

Grafting. Graft D. cneorum on D. mezereum indoors in Winter. 
Use veneer grafts on stock grown in pots. Rarely grafted. 

DAVIDIA. 

Seeds. Sow in Spring. 

Budded. Possibly can be budded on Cornus florida. 

DEUTZIA. 

Cuttings. Ripened wood and half-ripe wood taken from plants in 
greenhouses, or soft wood in Summer. 

DEWBERRIES. 

Root Cuttings. See Blackberry. 

DIERVILLA. Weigela. 

Seeds. Not difficult to raise, but do not come true. 
Cuttings. Half-ripened shoots in Summer. Hard wood cuttings 
root readily. 

DIMORPHANTHUS. 

Seeds. Sow seeds as soon as ripe. Gather soon after ripening, for 

birds wiU get them. Sow immediately. 
Root Cuttings. Dig up the plants ia April or May. Cut roots in 

three inch lengths and set in rows. 

DIOSPYROS. Persimmon. 

Seeds. Sow seeds as soon as ripe or stratify until Spring. 
Cuttings. Half-ripened wood. 

Grafting. Graft named sorts on D. virginiana, the seedlings, of 
which often make plants large enough for budding the first year. 

DIRCA. Leather Wood. 

Seeds. Ripen early. Sow when ripe. 

ELyEAGNUS. Oleaster. Wild Olive. 

Seeds. Sow seeds as soon as ripe or place in damp soil until October; 

then sow out of doors. Certain plants from seed produce no 

berries. 
Cuttings. Hard wood. 
Grafting. E. iimbellala used as stock for other sorts. E. Simoni 

grafted oniE'. longipes because it blooms so late that it seeds poorly. 



152 COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 

EUCALYPTUS. Blue Gum. 

Seeds. Very rapid grower. Sown in May or June in California. 

EUGNYMUS. Burning Bush. Spindle Tree. Wahoo. 

Cuttings. E. japonicus. Grow plants in rich soil for propagating. 

Half-ripe wood Midsummer. Hard wood cuttings may also be 

used. 
Layers. Evergreen species readily propagated by this method. 
Grafting. E. americanus. Graft on E. atropurpureus or E. eiiro- 

paeus to make its display of berries more attractive. 

EXOCHORDA. Pearl Bush. 

Seeds. Grow easily. Does not grow readily from cuttings or layers. 
Cuttings. Soft wood best in Summer. 
Grafting. Grafted by splice graft on own roots. 

FAGUS. Beech. 

Seeds. Mix nuts with sand, keep cool tiU Spring or sow in Autumn. 
Grafting. Blood-leaved, Tricolor, Weeping, Cut-leaved, grafted 

on seedling of type in early Spring. 
Inarch. May be inarched in July by setting pots of seedlings around 

a specimen and uniting the branches. 
Layers. Weeping varieties are layered. 

FICUS. Fig (F. carica.) 

Cuttings. Hard wood cuttings in Early Spring. 
Grafting. Only practiced when varieties are poor growers; then 
graft on type. 

FIG. (See Ficus.) 
FORSYTHIA. Golden BeU. 

Cuttings. Hard wood root very easily. Soft wood in Summer. 

Grafting. F. suspensa is grafted on F. viridissima to get height. 

Layers. Very easily propagated by this method. 

FRAXINUS. Ash. 

Seeds. Jenkins writes: 

White Ash seed will seldom grow well the first season after planting, 
unless subjected to special treatment. There is a theory in regard to 
many seeds difficult to propagate, that a gummy, resinous, or oily epi- 
dermis covers them, interfering with the action of the air necessary to 
produce germination. Excellent results have followed the immersion 
of such seed in an alkali, in acetic, or dilute sulphuric acid. Care must 
be used, however, that the acid, or alkali, does not destroy the integu- 
ments of the seed in addition to this air-proof covering. 

Grafting. The Green, Golden- weeping, Golden-barked, etc., are 
grafted or budded on F. excelsior, the European Ash. Bud in July, 
low for all but weeping sorts. 

GELSEMIUM. Carolina Jasmine. 

A greenhouse vine in the North. 
Cuttings. Hard wood in Spring. 

GINKGO. Maidenhair Tree. 

Seeds. Sow seed in Spring, but keep moist through the Winter. 
Grafting. Use male trees only; the female trees produce ill -smelling 
fruits. Graft on seedlings. Also budded (see fig. 95). 



TREE AND SHRUB LIST 



1.53 




Fig. 95. Budding the Ginkgo. 1, A bud stick. 2, Ring bud removed. 3, Patchlbud 

removed. 4, Stock ready for ring bud. 5. Ring bud applied to stock, showing the 

careful wrapping with raffia (.See page 152) 



GLEDITSIA. Honey Locust. 

Seeds. Scald seeds. Sow in Spring. 

Grafting. G. triacanthos var. inermis, the Thornless Honey Locust 

is grafted on seedlings of the type. This type is better for cities 

because it is less offensive. 

GOOSEBERRY. (See Ribes.) 

GORDONIA. Loblolly Bay. 

Cuttings. Half-ripened wood. Use sand and water method or 
place in greenhouse propagating bench. 

GRAPE. (See Vitis.) 

GYMNOCLADUS. Kentucky Coffee Tree. 
Seeds. Scald seeds. 
Cuttings. Hard wood. 

HALESIA. Snowdrop Tree. Silver-Bell. 

Seeds. Sow seeds as soon as ripe, otherwise they take two or three 

years to germinate. 
Cuttings. Green wood from plants grown indoors. 
Root Cuttings. Spring or Autumn. 

Grafting. Most of genera of this family may be grafted on 
H. ietraptera. 

HALIMODENDRON. Silver Leaf. 
Layers. Root slowly. 
Grafting. Use Caragana arhorea as a stock. 



154 COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 

HAMAMELIS. Witch Hazel. 

Seeds. Joseph Meehan gives the following notes: 

The shrub flowers in October and November, and the seed pods form 
then, but do not ripen until the next August or September. The pods 
are to be gathered then, when one or two by bursting open show the 
time has come for it. These pods are placed on a tray and set in the sun, 
that they may open at once. But thej^ must have a sieve set over them, 
as when the pods open they eject the seeds at the same time, sometimes 
to quite a distance. This is not known to all who attempt to secure the 
seeds, and many are disappointed in finding themselves short of the 
seeds they expected. Seeds sown in Spring, and covered lightly, usually 
grow very well. Because of the shooting character of the seeds this 
shrub should be called the Revolver Shrub. 

Grafting. The Japanese species are grafted on the American, in- 
doors. 

HIBISCUS. Rose of Sharon. Althaea. 
Seeds. Not true to color from seeds. 
Cuttings. Hard wood. 
Layers. Mound layering is often used. 
Grafting. Graft named varieties on seedlings. 

HIPPOPHyE. Sea Buckthorn, 

Seeds. Sow seeds as soon as ripe. Keep plants until they flower 

to determine sex. 
Cuttings. Hard wood does not root well. 
Layers. Best method. Be sure to propagate both male and female 

plants, 

HOVENIA. 

Seeds. Grows readily from seeds. 
Cuttings. Half-ripe wood in early Summer. 
Layers. Late Spring. 

HUCKLEBERRY. (See Vaccinium.) 

HYDRANGEA. 

Seeds. Many varieties seed freely. 

Cuttings. Hard wood cuttings root readily in Spring. Green wood 
cuttings in Summer under glass. The harder wooded sorts are best 
propagated by green wood cuttings. Climbing sorts are difficult 
to root. 

Layers. Cut down the bush the previous season to force the pro- 
duction of many shoots for layering. 

HYPERICUM. St. John's Wort. 

Seeds. Seed is very fine; sow carefully. 
Cuttings. Green wood cuttings in September. 
Division of Plants. Hardy species. 

IDESIA. Japan Cherry. 

Seeds. Japanese seedsmen offer seeds. 

Cuttings. Soft wood cuttings. 

Root Cuttings. Make in Autumn, plant in Spring. 

ILEX. Holly. 

Seeds. Propagate plants of both sexes. Joseph Meehan writes: 

The commoner sorts are propagated by seeds. As there will be an 
abundance of seed in the florists' stores in a short time with the advent 



TREE AND SHRUB LIST 155 

of Christmas, a supply should be collected by those who wish to sow 
them. If both the native one of the North, Ilex opaca, and the English 
species, I. aquifoliiim, there are usually a lot of berries in the boxes in 
■which the supplies reach the florists' stores. 

Holl3'' seeds do not germinate under a year or more. The way to 
proceed with the seeds is to mix them with sand in a box as soon as they 
are ripe or in early Winter. The box may be kept in a shed or building 
through the Winter; when Spring comes the mass should be washed 
out that the seeds be freed of pulp, as if allowed to remain as they 
Avere, the pulp is apt to cause fungus to form, to the detriment of the 
seeds. After the seeds are cleaned they are to receive another mixture 
of fresh clean sand and again be placed in a box, there to remain until 
Autumn, when they should be sown. The seedlings may be expected 
in late Spring. 

It is better to treat the seeds as recommended than to sow them as 
soon as ripe as some do. Such sowings render a bed useless a whole 
season, and, worse, it requires weeding and care, which preserving in 
a box for a season obviates. 

Ctjttings. Deciduous sorts propagated by hard wood cuttings, 
especially /. crenata. 

Layers. Gut down plants to force shoots; then make little upward 

* cuts in stems and insert a pebble to keep the cut open. Heap sand 

around the plants, cover the shoots all but their tips. When 

layered in Spring they root by Autumn, but they should be allowed 

to remain for two Summers. 

Budding. Budded in Spring from starting buds; or in Autumn from 
dormant ones. This method is used in order to insure having a 
plant which will produce berries abundantly. /. opaca, the Ameri- 
can Holly, is an excellent stock, but the seedhngsof/. aquifoliiim 
being easier to obtain, the latter species is also used. 

Grafting. Veneer grafting used in August under glass. Select 
short shoots of branches producing berries for use as cions. 

INDIGOFERA. Indigo Plant. 
Cuttings. Green wood. 

ITEA. Willow Shrub. 

Seeds. Gan be grown from seed. 
Cuttings. Hard wood. 

JASMINUM. Jasmine. Jessamine. 

Cuttings. Nearly mature wood. Layers and Suckers. 

JUGLANS. Walnuts and Butternut. (See fig. 96.) 

Seeds. JVIost of the Walnuts should be treated much as Joseph 
Meehan advises for the English Walnut, Juglans regia: 

The nuts of the English Walnut require treatment different from 
that accorded many other kinds of nuts. It won't do in the North to 
sow them in Autumn; as a rule they rot when so treated. They should 
be kept indoors, in a rather cool place, mixed with slightly damp 
sand, and then sown outdoors in Spring, when every one may be expected 
to grow. Seedlings from imported nuts, and even those from home 
grown trees, are apt to lose their terminal buds when young. It is, 
therefore, wise to give them some protection, such as forest leaves 
provide, in an endeavor to preserve them. Another good plan is to 
let seedlings remain in their seed beds for two or three years before 
transplanting them; one protects the other in this way; they are more 



156 



COIVIIMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 




Fig. 96. Germination of an English Walnut 



JUGLANS— Continued 

easily preserved in Winter, and the close growth in the beds causes them 
to make height instead of branches, all in the interest of the grower. 

There are many varieties of the English Walnut, the thin shelled, the 
early fruiting and a number of others, all differing in their nuts from 
the t5-pe. These it is not safe to rely on as coming true from seed. 
Of a hundred nuts, of any one kind of them, while some might be the 
same as the parent, many would not. 

Grafting and Budding. Juglans cmerea, Butternut, can be grafted 
by terminal bud graft. Juglans regia, English Walnut, budded on 
Butternut or Black Walnut in Summer, when the sap is flowing 
strongly. 

JUNIPERUS. Juniper. Red Cedar. 

Seeds. Very hard; should be softened, according to Fuller, by 

soaking in strong potash water for several days. 
Cuttings. Grow readily from soft unripe cuttings in greenhouse or 
mature wood cuttings in frames. (See fig. 24.) 
KALMIA. Mountain Laurel. 

Seeds. Sow seeds in Spring in a mixture of sand, peat and loam in 
pans or flats and keep in greenhouse or coldframe. Transplant 
seedhngs early into other flats. Do not put out in open for a year. 
Cuttings. Most species, except K. latifolia, grow nicely from half- 
ripened wood cuttings. 
Grafting. Kalmia latifolia varieties are side grafted on seedlings 
in greenhouse. 

Most American nurserymen coUect plants from the wild. 

KERR I A. Corchorus. Globe Flower. 

Cuttings. Young wood under glass in Summer, also hard wood. 

KOELREUTERIA. Varnish Tree. Bladder Pod. 
Seeds. Produced freely. Stratify. 



TREE AND SHRUB LIST 157 

LAGERSTRCEMIA. Crape Myrtle. 
Seeds. Obtain from the South. 
Cuttings. Hard wood, except the white varieties. Green cuttings 

may be made in the greenhouse. 
Root Cuttings. Most successful method with the white variety. 

LARIX. Larch. Tamarack. 

Seeds. Keep dry during Winter. Sow in Spring. Shade seedhngs. 
Grafting. Whip or cleft graft out of doors; veneer graft indoors. 

This latter method is best. Use European Larch, L. europxa, 

mostly. 

LAURUS. Sweet Bay. Laurel. 

Seeds. Sow as soon as ripe, then they will germinate in a few weeks. 
Cuttings. Half-ripe wood placed under glass. 

LEDUM. Labrador Tea. 
Seeds. Sow in Spring. 

LEMON. (See Orange.) 

LESPEDEZA. Bush Clover. 

Cuttings. L. Sieholdi. Half-ripened shoots in Summer. Top 

dies down in Winter. 
Layers. L. (Desmodium) bicolor. In Summer. Take up in 
Autumn and protect for Winter. 

LEUCOTHOE. 

Seeds. Sown in sphagnum »moss and sand; pricked off in flats, 

and in early Spring planted out of doors. 
Cuttings. Half-ripe wood cuttings placed in sand with bottom heat. 
Layers. Underground runners. 

LIBOCEDRUS. Incense Cedar. 
Seeds. Sow in Spring. 

Cuttings. Late Summer in greenhouse, root slowly. 
Grafting. Graft on Thuya and Chamaecyparis. 

LIGUSTRUM. Privet. 

Seeds. Some may be raised from seed but Regel's Privet being a 

variety of L. Ibota does not come true. 
Cuttings. Soft wood cuttings in Summer rooted in greenhouse. 
The prunings from the hedge may easily be cut into foot lengths 
and are easily rooted in the Spring. 

LINDERA. (See Benzoin.) 

LIQUIDAMBER. Sweet Gum. (See fig. 97.) 

Seeds. Stratify as soon as ripe. May not grow until second year. 
Require moist seed bed, therefore, water in the dry Summer. 

LIRIODENDRON. Tulip Tree. White Wood. 

Seeds. Sown as soon as ripe in Autumn in a light soil with some 
leaf mold in it. Young plants make many long succulent roots, 
so they should be transplanted for several succeeding Springs. 
Usually less than half of the seeds grow. 

Grafting. Sometimes grafted or budded on seedlings. 



158 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 




Fig. 97. The seed ball of the Sweet Gum. (See page 157) 



LONICERA. Honeysuckle. 

Seeds. Sown in Autumn or stratify. 

Cuttings. Either hard or soft wood. Soft wood rooted under glass- 

Layers. Put down compound layers in Autumn or early Spring. 

LYCIUM. Matrimony Vine. 

Seeds. Sow seeds as soon as ripe. 

Cuttings. Hard wood, one year old. Soft wood in Summer. 

MACLURA. (Toxylon) Osage Orange. 

Seeds. In Spring soak seed in warm water for forty-eight hours, 
then sow. 

CiTTTiNGS. Green wood indoors. 
MAGNOLIA. 

Seeds. Jenkins writes: 

After the red seeds of Magnolia are gathered from the pods, put 
them in a tub, or bucket, with enough water to barely cover them. 
Stir occasionally. In a few days the red, pulpy covering will be softened 
and may be rubbed from the black seed, or seed proper, in the hands; 
or, place the seeds in a coarse sieve and rub the pulp through the 
meshes into a running stream. The meshes of the sieve must be 
fine enough to retain the black seed. Then mix lime or wood ashes 
with the seed to cut the oily matter that appears to interfere with 
germination. 



TREE AND SHRUB LIST 15^ 

MAGNOLIA — Continued 

Joseph Meehan writes: 

Sow the seeds in early Spring, keeping them in a moist condition from 
the time they are gathered. Some sow the seeds in Autumn, some after 
they are gathered, placing a covering of leaves over them for the 
Winter. But keeping them in slightly damp soil all Winter and sowing 
early in Spring is a sure way; of course, watching the seeds right along 
through the Winter to see that everything is right 

Layering. The old way of layering is the most solid of all. This is the 
time to cut back almost to the ground the stocks desired for layering pur- 
poses. Take some real heavy plants and cut them back to but a few eyes 
above the ground. This will cause the growth of strong, young shoots, 
which are just the sort needed for layering. The work should be done 
as soon as the shoots are of length enough to permit of it. If put down 
early, they will be nicely rooted by Fall, but should not be cut off 
from the parent plants before Spring. Old hands at propagating aver 
that but little is lost by allowing the layers to remain undisturbed for 
two years. In this way, too, the old plants are permitted to have a 
year's rest from layering, strengthening them, as the cutting down 
and layering the same plants j-ear after year weakens them. This will 
lead propagators to have two sets of plants for layering, working one 
•• set one 3'ear, the other the next, which is much the better plan. 

Budding. Use M. acuminata; the Cucumber Tree, or M. tripetala, 
the Umbrella Magnolia, as a stock. For standards the bud is 
inserted at height of five to six feet. 

Grafting. M. tripetala better because of abundance of fibrous roots 
which makes transplanting safer. Performed under glass. Side 
cleft grafting is preferred. To increase the size of M. glauca it is^ 
successfully grafted on some larger growing species. 

Inarching. Successful. 

MAHONIA. Oregon Grape. 

Seeds. Grow easily if sown soon after ripening. 
Cuttings. Half-ripe wood under glass. 

MEDLAR. (See Mespilus.) 

MELIA. Pride of India. China Tree. 

Seeds. Rather difficult to raise. Sow seeds as soon as ripe. The 

M. Azedarach var. umbraculiformis breeds true to seed. 
Cuttings. Hard wood. 

MESPILUS. Medlar. 

Grafting. Best use Crataegus as stock, but seedling Medlar and 
Quince can be used. 

MISTLETOE. (See Phoradendron.) 

MORUS. Mulberry. (See fig. 98.) 

Seeds. Wash and keep cool and dry until Spring; then sow; they 

germinate in several weeks. They may be sown in the Autumn. 
Cuttings. The Russian type, M. alba, roots easily; the wild one, 

M. rubra, and Downing's Everbearing do not. 
Grafting. M. rubra and A/, alba make the best stocks for Downing. 

Weeping varieties are grafted at height of five or six feet above^ 

the soil. Grafting is practiced in early April. Root grafting in 

Winter may also be used. 



100 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



.'■^*^ 









-nM \% 






::^S^ 






■^ 



j'-^x-:^.'' :-? ,• 



Fig. 98. ^Teas' Weeping Mulberry (See page 159) 



MYRICA. Wax Myrtle. 

Seeds, Seeds grow slowly. Sow in Spring. 
Suckers. Especially M. gale» 

NANDINA. 

Seeds. Obtained from California. 

NECTARINE. 

Same stock and method of treatment as for Peach, page 114. 



TREE AND SHRUB LIST 161 

NERIUM. Oleander. 

Cuttings. Hard wood. Soft wood rooted in water easily. Take 

cuttings after flowering. 
Layers. Chinese layers are successful. 

NEVIUSIA. Snow Wreath. 

This is a Spiraea without petals. 
Cuttings. Green wood cuttings under glass. 

NYSSA. Sour Gum. Tupelo. 

Seeds. Autumn collected seed freed of pulp and sown immediately; 

or store in damp sand during Winter. 
Grafting. Weeping form grafted on type. 

The trees are difficult to transplant and should be raised in pots. 

OLEA. Ohve. (See Osmanthus.) 
Cuttings. From Fuller we read: 

In warm climates, where the Olive flourishes, the cuttings are planted 
in the open ground in the Autumn. In European countries large 
truncheons or cuttings are used instead of those of moderate size or 
lengths, but for no better reason than because it is the general practice 
or custom. Chips cut from an old Olive tree stem will readily produce 
sprouts if planted in a warm soil and kept moist; in fact, the entire 
surface of this tree will produce adventitious buds very freely, if placed 
in a position to receive heat and moisture. 

ORANGE. 

Budding. Indoors. They may be budded at any season when they 
are making active growth. Use round bud wood rather than flat, 
and propagate from bearing trees. 

OSMANTHUS. Sweet Olive. Also called Oka fragrans. 
Seeds. Not easily obtainable. 
Cuttings. Half-ripe wood late in Summer. 
Budding. May be budded on Privet. 

OSTRYA. Ironwood. Hop Hornbeam. 
Seeds. Sow as soon as ripe or stratify. 
Grafting. May graft the varieties on common species. 

OXYDENDRON. Sorrel Tree. 

Seeds. Sow in frames. Keep shaded and moist until they germinate. 

The plants are apt to be rather difficult to grow the first year. 
Layers. Very slow to grow. 

Pi«ONIA. Shrubby sorts, P. Moutan. 

Cuttings. Taken with heel in Summer and placed in cool green- 
house. 

Layering. Layers require about two years to root. 

Grafting. Root grafting. Use the large fleshy roots for stocks 
and graft by the side graft. Graft in early Autumn and store for 
Winter. Both root and stock grafting may be used. They may 
also be grafted on the herbaceous sorts; use a splice or cleft graft. 

PALIURUS. Christ's Thorn. 

Seeds. Stratify or sow as soon as ripe. 

Root Cuttings. Store in moist sand during Winter. 

PARROTIA. 

Cuttings. Green wood under glass. 



162 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



PASSIFLORA. Passion Flower. 

Cuttings. Take growths from January to April; place in warm 
propagating bench, shaded and moist. Pot in loam, peat and sand. 
Layers. Compound layers used. 

PAULOWNIA. 

Seeds. Sow in Spring. Seedlings damp-off easily. 

Cuttings. Green wood under glass. 

Root Cuttings. Cut into three-inch lengths, plant outdoors or in 

greenhouse in the Spring. 
Leaf Cuttings. Petioles cut short, leaves placed in sand covered 

with a bell jar. 




Fig. 99. Seed vessels of Paulownia tomentosa 



PAVIA. Ruckeye. Dwarf Horse Chestnut. 

Seeds. Very easily grown from seed if sown soon after ripening. 

PHELLODENDRON. Cork Tree. 

Seeds. Freely produced, and germinate readily when sown in 

Autumn. 
Grafting. The Chinese Cork Tree (P. amiirense) is grafted on P. 
japonicum since P. amurense is much superior in corkiness of bark. 



TREE AND SHRUB LIST 163 

PHILADELPHUS. Erroneously called Syringa. Mock Orange. 
Seeds. They often self sow. May be sown in Spring. 
Cuttings. Hard wood made in Autumn, set in Spring. 

PHORADENDRON. Mistletoe. 
Seeds. Joseph Meehan writes: 

It takes patience to increase the Mistletoe, but those who wish to 
try it may proceed thus: Take the berries and press them to a branch, 
the under side of the branch preferred, until they burst. They are so 
viscid that they will adhere to the bark, but that birds shall not dis- 
turb them, tie them fast with a piece of muslin. Do not be impatient 
to see the plants, for nothing will be seen for a year, and then only a 
swelling of the bark. But this swelling indicates that all is well, and the 
next season some growth maj^ be expected. There is a difference of 
opinion as to the cutting of a notch in the bark to hold the berries. 
Late authorities say it is better not to do so. The natural way finds 
no slit bark, and with the bandage of muslin to hold the seed in place, 
there can be no necessity for notching the branch. 

The Mistletoe is a parasite, living off the juices of the trees it attaches 
itself to. There are two sorts that come to our markets; the old 
Mistletoe of Europe and that of our own country. The European one 
is Viscuni albvm, ours, Phoradendron flavescetis, both being of the 
same general character. 

In Europe its host trees are generally the Apple, Poplar, Hawthorn, 
Linden, Maple and Mountain Ash; rarely the Oak. In our country 
it is found on Oaks, Elms, Apples, Locust, Hickories, etc.; and it is 
always interesting wherever found growing. 

PHOTINIA. 

Cuttings. Ripened wood. 

Layers. Roots readily from layers covered in Spring. 

Grafting. Worked on Hawthorn, Apple roots or Quince stock. 

PHYSIANTHUS. 

Cuttings. Made in late Winter. 

PHYSOCARPUS. Ninebark. 

Cuttings. Hard wood or green wood. 

PICEA. Spruce. 

Seeds. Keep dry and cool through the Winter. Sow in Spring. 

Cuttings. The dwarf forms are especially easily grown from 
cuttings. 

Grafting. Seedlings of the Norway Spruce, P. excelsa, make the 
best stocks because of their adaptability to soils, hardiness and 
good growth. Veneer grafting in Spring or August in the greenhouse. 

PICKNEYA. 

Seeds. Grow readily, but the plants are not hardy. 
PIERIS. 

Seeds. (See Andromeda.) 

Cuttings. Nearly ripe wood. August, under glass. 
PINUS. Pine. 

Seeds. Sow in beds, about three feet wide so that they may be 
weeded. After growing one year they are transplanted just as 
buds are swelling. Shade the young plants early in growth, but 
gradually allow the beds to have the full sunlight, else damping-off 
will occur. Keeif them sparsely watered. 



164 COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 

PINTJS — Continued 

Grafting, Veneer grafting is used to work various rarer varieties 
on the type. The plants may be potted and grafted indoors. In 
grafting out of doors the terminal bud graft is best used. (See 
p. 97 and fig. 67.) Fuller writes that the two and three leaved 
sorts, P. sylvestris, P. Mughus compacta, P. pyrenaica and P. densi- 
flora, should be used in grafting varieties of the same number of 
needles. The Austrian Pine (P. nigra var. austriaca) may be 
used as a stock for the Western Pines (P. ponderosa, P. CouUeri, 
and P. Sabiniana), all of which have coarse grained wood. The 
rapid, free growing, three-needle sorts are preferred for the others ; 
for example, the Red Pine (P. resinosa) is the best stock for allied 
species and varieties. The White Pine (P. Strobus) a five-leaf 
sort, is best used for the other five-leaved species, P. flexilis, P. 
excelsa, P. Cembra, and P. Mandschurica. 

PLATANUS. Button-wood. Plane Tree. Sycamore. 
Seeds. Propagate the Oriental Plane only. 
Cuttings. Hard wood taken in Autumn. 

POMEGRANATE. See Punica. 

POPULUS. Poplar. 

Seeds. Sow as soon as ripe. Plant shallow, water if soil becomes 

dry. 
Cuttings. Hard wood root easily, one or two-year-old wood used. 
Budding and Grafting. Varieties are worked on rapid growing 
species. 
POTENTILLA. Shrubby Cinquefoil. Five Finger. 
Cuttings. Mature wood taken in Autumn. 

PRUNUS. Propagation of ornamental species only. 
Seeds. See under Peach and Plum, pp. 114 and 117. 
Cuttings. Mature wood used for some ornamentals and European 

Plum. 
Root Cuttings. Plants from cuttings are apt to sucker easily. 
Budding. Shield bud on seedling stock. 

Prunus. Amygdalus. Almond (see fig. 100). 

Budding and Grafting. The ornamental horticultural varieties 

are budded on the Peach or the Plum. The Plum is usually preferred 

because it is not attacked by borers and succeeds well in a clay soil. 

If the Plum is not a strong grower, however, there is danger of the 

roots being inadequate for the best development of the Almond. 

P. Amygdalus var. nana is best budded at a height of three feet. 

(See also Plums, p. 117, and Peaches, p. 114.) 

Root Cuttings. P. A. nana is successfully propagated by cuttings 

of large roots made in Autumn stored in damp moss until Spring. 

Prunus. Cerasus. Ornamental Cherries. 

Budding. Use the Mazzard stock, usually, especially for budding 
P. Cerasus Sieboldi rosea plena (Jap. Weeping Cherry) and sinensis 
plena (Chinese Double Flowering Cherry). For weeping sorts, 
two buds; for others one is sufficient to make a head. Careful 
attention to heading back the growth of bud will help to make 
greater symmetry. Spring grafting is not so successful. (Refer 
also to Cherries, p. 113.) 



TREE AND SHRUB LIST 



165 




Fig.l 100.— Double flowering Almond. The cut shows a characteristic branch of 

Prunus triloba var. plena. This variety when grown as a standard and worked upon 

the Plum is often short-lived. It is best propagated by layering or root grafting. It 

makes an excellent subject for forcing, but is also used for gardens (See page 164) 

PSEUDOLARIX. Golden Larch. 

Seeds. Seed obtained from Japan. 

Grafting. Graft on Larch outdoors, or better still, in the greenhouse. 
For indoor grafting pot plants in Spring so that they are estab- 
hshed by Autumn and can be stored until late Winter, then brought 
into heat to start growth. When the buds swell, it is time to graft. 
Gut cions in Winter and hold dormant in cool conditions. 



166 COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 

PSEUDOTSUGA. Douglas Spruce. 
Seeds. Generally propagated by seeds. Eastern growers should 

demand Eastern or Colorado seed, as the California seed is tender. 
Grafting. The weeping form is grafted on the common stock. 
Inarching. Used on weeping form. 

PTELEA. Hop Tree. 

Seeds. Sown in Autumn or stratify in sand. 

Layers. Varieties of Hop Tree are easily layered. 

Grafting and Budding. Graft under glass or bud out of doors on 
seedlings. 
PTEROCARYA. Winged Walnut. 

Seeds. Sown in Autumn or stratified. 

PTEROSTYRAX. Wistaria Tree. 

Seeds. Ripen in Autumn; sow immediately or in Spring. 

Cuttings. Green wood under glass, in Summer. 

Grafting. May be grafted on seedling Halesia. 
PUNICA. Pomegranate. 

Cuttings. Hard wood. 

Grafting. May be grafted on wild type. 

PYRUS. Apples, Pears, Crabs. 

Ornamental species only; commercial fruit discussed on pp. 111- 
118. 
Seeds. The botanical species P. coronaria, ioensis, etc. come true. 
Budding. Budding of Pyrus coronaria and Bechtels' Double 
Flowering Crab. Mid-July or later on common Apple stock. 
Should be budded near end of growing season. When budded 
earlier the union does not take place so well. 

Pyrus Mams. Apple. 
Grafting. The commonest stock for the Apple is the wild apple of 
Europe, but for the Siberian Crab varieties P. prunifolia, P. an- 
guslijolia or P. coronaria are used. For dwarfing the Apple, 
Paradise and Doucin stocks are used, both of which are small 
types of P. Mains. (See p. 113.) 

QUERCUS. Oak. 

Seeds. Joseph Meehan writes: 

Many Oaks are of the class which commence to grow as soon as the 
acorns fall, and these sorts require sowing within a week or so after 
they are ripe. In this class are the White Oak, Chestnut Oak, Rock 
Chestnut, Chinquapin, and maybe others. If not sown within a week 
or two after falling they will not grow, unless in the meantime they have 
been in a damp place. The trouble is, that they either lose vitality 
by drying up or the radicle pushes out so far, because of damp surround- 
ings, that they cannot be handled satisfactorily afterward. Beds 
should be prepared for them at once. Those of about three feet width 
are best, as affording opportunity to weed the seedlings without treading 
on the beds. Such beds made now, and spread with acorns, the latter 
covered with two inches of soil, should give a treat in the way of seed- 
lings next Spring. Before Winter sets in a covering of forest leaves 
should be placed over the beds, to keep the acorns free from the freezings 
and thawings they would otherwise be subjected to. 

The first of these early sprouting acorns to ripen is the little Chin- 
quapin Oak, Quercus prinoides. Next come the two Chestnut Oaks, 
Quercus prinus and Q. castanca, followed by the White Oak, Q. alha. 



TREE AND SHRUB LIST 167 

QUERGUS— Continued 

At this writing, September 28, the prinoides and prinus are ripe, and the 
alba just about ready to fall from the trees. 

There is a great call in foreign countries for our White Oak; but be- 
tween the difficulty of shipping acorns of it in good condition and the 
embargo placed on plants from this country, the demand cannot be 
met at all. This, the White Oak, is the most valuable of all our Oaks 
for timber purposes, although others are valuable and all serve a good 
purpose for fuel. 

Cuttings. The evergreen species may be increased by this method. 

Grafting. Q. Bobur var. fastigiata is grafted on Q. Bobur, the 
Enghsh Oak, in Winter; on potted plants or on outdoor plants in 
Spring. In grafting the Oaks choose allied species for stocks. 

Inarching. Varieties inarched on type, 

QUINCE. (See Cydonia.) 

RAPHIOLEPIS. Indian Hawthorn. 

Cuttings. Cuttings of ripe wood under glass late in Summer. 
Grafting. Used on Cratxgus. 

RASPBERRY. (See Rubus.) 

RETINISPORA. (Often spelled Retinospora.) 

Cuttings. A rapid method, taken in early Winter, placed in green- 
house with a little bottom heat. (See fig. 22.) 

Juvenile forms are said to be produced of these Retinisporas by 
propagating from seedlings and continuing to propagate from the 
slower growing branches. 

RHAMNUS. Common Buckthorn. 
Seeds. Stratified in Autumn. 
Cuttings. Hard wood. 
Grafting. Some of rarer sorts are grafted on B. cathariica. 

RHODODENDRON. 

Seeds. The seed is very fine and frequently when falling beneath 
the old plants will grow nicely. In the greenhouse they may be 
sown from January to March in a soil consisting of sand, peat and a 
little loam. Do not cover, except by a layer of sphagnum and 
place a pane of glass over the pots. Immediately upon germina- 
tion the glass must be removed. 

Cuttings. Half-ripe wood is used and placed in sand benches 
under glass. When they have callused they may be given a little 
bottom heat. Heel cuttings will be the best sort to use. 

Layers. Chinese layering is successful though it is not used as widely 
as simple layers. Commonly the low branched plants are selected. 
The branches of last season's growth are chosen, an incision is made 
in the part below the soil, and the growth is pegged down. Al- 
though the shoot will root soon it should be allowed to remain for 
several seasons. To layer the higher branched plants the soil 
may be mounded up rather high. Such soil should be mostly 
leaf mold (see fig. 45). 

Grafting. B. catawbiense and B. maximum are the best stocks; the 
Belgian nurseries have been using mostly B. ponticum. Veneer 
grafting is mostly practiced, although cleft and saddle grafting 
may be used. Let the grafts be made low on the plants. Do not 



168 COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 

RHODODENDRON — Continued 

head the stock plant back until the second year. Grafting is done 
late in Summer or esirly in Autumn; no wax is used, but the union 
should be tied with sphagnum; the plants are kept in humid con- 
dition and shaded. 

RHODOTYPOS. White Kerria. 

Seeds. A very free seeder. Even self-sows. Sow when ripened. 
Cuttings. Either hard or soft wood. 

RHUS. Sumac. Smoke Tree. 

Seeds. Sown in Autumn or stratify. 

Cuttings. Hard wood. 

Root Cuttings. Especially of R, typhina var. laciniata, the Fern- 
leaved Sumac. Cut into three-inch lengths, bury in sand until 
Spring, then set out in rows. 

Layers. Many species may be layered. 

RIBES. Currant. Gooseberry. 
Seeds. Germinate readily. 
Cuttings. Hard wood. Make in Autumn. Best method for 

Currant. 
Layers. Mound layers, especially of Gooseberry (see fig. 49.) The 

varieties may also be tip layered. 
Budding and Grafting. Used with horticultural varieties. 

When tree or standard plants are wanted, strong stocks, such as 

R. aiireum, are used for the Currant, and perhaps R. rotund i folium, 

the Round-leaved Gooseberry, would be useful for the Gooseberry 

varieties. It is a strong, tall grower. 

ROBINIA. Locust. 

Seeds. Soak in hot water or scald before sowing. 
Cuttings. Soft wood of R. hispida and other species in Summer. 
Root Cuttings. R. viscosa and R. hispida especially are propa- 
gated by this method. 

ROSE. (See page 129.) 

RUBUS. Raspberries. 
Seeds. Grow easily. 
Division. Divide clumps for varieties. 
Root Cuttings. Take cuttings three inches long. Good root 

system by this method. 
Layers. The red Raspberries are especially easy to tip layer. 

(See fig. 46.) Pinch out the terminal buds of branches layered 

and several plants may be obtained instead of one. (See also 

fig. 48.) 
SALISBURIA. (See Ginkgo.) 
SALIX. WiUow. 
Seeds. Not used. 
Cuttings. Very easily rooted from hard wood cuttings. Propagate 

iS. viminalis, S. iriandra, S. cordaia, and -S. Forbyana for tying 

nursery stock, some others break instead of bending. 
Grafting. The Kilmarnock Pussy Willow, a variety of 6\ caprea, 

is frequently grafted on »S. caprea to give stronger shoots. 



TREE AND SHRUB LIST 169 

SAMBUCUS. Elderberry. 
Seeds. Grow readily. 
Cuttings. Best propagate the Golden Elder by hard wood cuttings, 

although it comes rather true from seeds. Other species may be 

rooted from cuttings also. 
Root Cuttings. Many of the sorts may be propagated by this 

method. 
Sucker. Readily propagated by this method. 

SASSAFRAS. 

Seeds. The best method is by seed. Ripen in Autumn; sow im- 
mediately. 
Suckers. Start when roots are injured. 

SCIADOPITYS. Umbrella Pine. 
Seeds. Very slow growth from seeds. 

Cuttings. More rapid than seeds but plants are apt to be as sym- 
metrical. 

SEQUOIA. (Giant Tree of California.) 
Cuttings. (See Thuya, page 171.) 

S^EPHERDIA. Buffalo Berry. 

Seeds. Grow readily. As the sexes are distinct, seedling plants 
must be grown until the sex can be determined. Seedlings are 
rather sensitive to strong sun. 

SKIMMIA. 

Seeds. By seeds both sexed plants are obtained, so that one waits for 

flowering to determine the berry producers. 
Cuttings. Produce the plant exactly. Use half-ripe wood under 

glass. 

SOPHORA. Japan Pagoda Tree. 

Seeds. Germinate readily when fresh. 

Cuttings. Hard wood or green wood; the latter are best grown 

from indoor plants. 
Grafting. Varieties are grafted on seedlings of the type. 

SORBUS. Mountain Ash. 

Seeds. Crush fruits and wash out the seeds; sow immediately or 

store in damp sand until Spring. 
Grafting and Budding. Varieties are grafted or budded on -S. 

aucuparia, S. americana, or Cratxgus. 

SPIRi^lA. Bridal Wreath and Meadow Sweet. 
Seeds. IVIany sorts grow nicely from seed. 
Cuttings. Soft wood cuttings taken in late Spring of some sorts, 

especially S. humalda var. Anthony Waterer. Hard wood cuttings 

are much used. 

STAPHYLEA. Bladder Nut. 

Cuttings. Young growth placed under glass. 
Root Cuttings. Use the larger roots. 

STEPHANANDRA. 

Cuttings. Green wood used mostly. 

Root Cuttings. S. incisa (flexuosa) especially. Make cuttings in 
Spring. Give bottom heat. 



170 COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION \ 

I 

STERCULIA. Japan Varnish Tree. Chinese Parasol Tree. | 

Seeds. Easily grown if they can be obtained. ' 
Cuttings. Soft wood rooted in Summer. 

STEWARTIA. 

Seeds. Seed produced abundantly. ' 

Cuttings. Difficult to root. Use half-ripened ones. : 

Layers. Rest. i 

STIGMAPHYLLON. \ 

Cuttings. Soft wood heel cuttings rooted with bottom heat. j 

STUARTIA. (See Stewartia.) ; 

STYRAX. Storax. \ 
Seeds. Produced in profusion. Seed sown as soon as ripe. 
Cuttings. Do not root well. 

Layers. Useful. ' 

Grafting. Sometimes grafted on Halesia. \ 

SYMPHORICARPOS. Indian Currant. Snowberry. i 

Cuttings. Hard wood and green wood. | 

Underground Stems. Spread quickly. \ 
Suckers. Produced abundantly. 

SYMPLOCOS. Sweet Leaf. Horse-Sugar. | 

Seeds. Rarely germinate until second year after planting. ■ 

Cuttings. Under glass. Green wood. * 

SYRINGA. Lilac. 

Seeds. Raise seedlings for budding. Easily grown. \ 

Cuttings. Green wood in Spring. Place in greenhouse. Good 

plants are produced by Autumn. Hard wood cuttings are very < 

easily rooted. ; 

Rudding. Rudded on Ligustrum (Cahfornia Privet) the plant ; 

flowers earlier than when propagated from cuttings. Rud in Sep- ' 

tember, for the sap in Privet is running very late. Such budding j 

also results in dwarfing. j 

Layers. Also useful. \ 

TAMARINDUS. Tamarind. j 

Seeds. Readily grown from seed sown in hotbed or in greenhouse, j 

with bottom heat. 

Cuttings. Under glass. i 

TAMARIX. Tamarisk. ' 

Seeds. Fine, cover lightly. ; 
Cuttings. Hard wood, plant in open soil in Autumn or Spring. 
Soft wood in Summer. 

TAXODIUM. Raid Cypress. | 

Seeds. Sow in Spring. Germinate quickly. 1 

Cuttings. Use young shoots in Summer. Sand and water method ' 

should be successful. 

Grafting. The weeping form, the variegated, and the Oriental j 

species, are grafted on common stock. Grafting in Spring outdoors, ' 

near the soil. Shade the cions with paper or flower pot. Or in ; 

August the plants may be veneer grafted in greenhouse. ] 



TREE AND SHRUB LIST 



171 



TAXUS. Yew. 

Seeds. Wash seeds free from pulp and keep in damp sand, until 

Spring. 
Cuttings. This is method usually employed. Use green cuttings 

under glass or mature shoots in Autumn placed in frames. 




Fig. 101. A Yewberry 

TECOMA. (See Gampsis.) 

THEA. Tea. 

THUYA. (Also spelled Thuja). Arborvitee. White Cedar. 

Seeds. Many forms are good from seed. Sown in Spring. Water 

frequently. 
Cuttings. For golden form use cuttings made in January. The 
Siberian Arborvitae must be propagated by this method' as it does 
not come true from seed. 
Grafting. Pot common Arborvitae in Autumn; keep in cool house 
until several weeks before grafting. After grafting, keep air of 
house moist and shade must be given for several weeks. T. 
occidenialis var. aurea or George Peabody is grafted on type. 
THUJOPSIS. 

Cuttings. Plants are usually bushy and globular. 
Grafting. As in Thuya. Plants are not so long lived. 
TILIA. Bass wood. Linden, White wood. 
Seeds. Sown as soon as ripe or stratified. 

Layers. Young tree cut down, the resulting growths are layered. 
Grafted and Budded Rarer sorts grafted in the Spring, or later; 
in August, they may be budded on type stock. 

Mr. Rehder notes that grafted or layered trees remain one-sided 
for years because the branches have a tendency to make a horizontal 
instead of an upright growth. 



172 COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 

TORREYA. Stinking Yew. 

(See Taxus for propagation.) 

TSUGA. Hemlock. 

Cuttings. Partially ripened wood used. 
Grafting. Use T. canadensis as a stock. 

ULEX. Furze. Gorse. 

Seeds. Sown in Spring when frost is past. 

Cuttings. Green or hard wood. 

Grafting. Grafted in Spring on U. earopxus. 

ULMUS. Ekn. (See fig. 102.) 

Seeds. Sow when ripe. Most Elms ripen seeds in May or June. 

but U. parvifolia ripens its seeds in October and November. 
Cuttings. Hard wood. 
Grafting. It is best to graft or bud upon allied species. Use U. 

americana, U. canipestris, U. foliacea and U. glabra as stocks. 

The whip and splice graft is mostly used. To obtain the beautiful 

specimens of the Camperdown or Umbrella Elm, a form of U. 

glabra (montana), this sort is grafted on tall stems; at a height of 

7 to 8 feet is best, otherwise the mature tree appears dwarfed. 

Watch the head for the first few seasons and prune so that it will be 

well balanced. 

UNGNADIA. Mexican Buckeye. Spanish Buckeye 

Seeds. Sow as soon as ripe. Seeds retain their vitality only a short 
time. 

VACCINIUM. Blueberry. Huckleberry. 

The notes here offered is a summary of the extensive researches 
of Dr. Frederick V. Coville.* 
Stumping. The easiest way to propag'ate the swamp Blueberry is 
by a special process of layering named "stumping." The directions 
are as foUows: 

1. In late Fall, Winter, or Spring, preferably in early Spring before 
the buds have begun to push, cut off at the surface of the ground either 
the whole of the plant or as many of the stems as it is desired to devote 
to this method of propagation. The stems that are cut off are dis- 
carded, or they may be used for cuttings, as described under "Tubering" 
or "Winter cuttings." 

2. Cover the stumps to the depth of 2 to 3 inches with a mixture of 
clean sand and sifted peat, 2 to 4 parts of sand to i of peat, by bulk. 
A rough box or frame may be built on the ground to keep the sand bed 
in place. 

3. Care must be taken that the sand bed be not allowed to become 
dry except at the surface during the Summer. 

4. The new growth from the stumps, which without the sand would 
consist of stems merely, is transformed in working its way through 
the sand bed into scaly, erect, or nearly erect rootstocks which, on 
reaching the surface of the sand, continue their development into leafy 
shoots. (See fig. 103.) Although roots are formed only sparingly on 
the covered bases of stems, they develop abundantly during Spring and 

* Coville, F. V. Directions for Blueberry Culture. Professional Paper Bull. 334, 
United States Dept. of Agriculture. 



TREE AND SHRUB LIST 



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Fi». 102. Camperdown Elm. The Camperdown Elm (Ulmus glabra va,T.Camper- 

downii) is either budded or grafted at a height of seven to eight feet upon U. americana, 

U. campestris, U. glabra or U. foliacea 



VACCINIUM — Continued 

early Summer on these artificially produced rootstocks, and by the end 
of Autumn all the shoots should be well rooted at the base. They 
should remain in place in the sand bed till late Winter or early Spring, 
undisturbed and exposed to outdoor freezing temperatures; but the 
sand should be mulched with leaves, preferably those of Red Oaks. 

5. Early in the following Spring, before the buds have begun to push, 
open the bed and sever each rooted shoot carefully from the stump. 
Discard the upper portion of the shoot, making the cut at such a point 
as to leave on the basal portion about three buds above the former 
level of the sand bed. If the cut at the basal end of the rooted shoot is 
not smooth or the wood is cracked, recut the surface with a sharp, thin- 



174 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



VACCINIUM — Continued 



bladed knife. The discarded upper portion of the shoot may be used 
for Winter cuttings, as described on pages 8 to ii. 

6. Set the rooted shoots in a coldframe or a cool greenhouse in cleart 
earthenware pots of suitable size, ordinarily 3-inch pots, in a soil 
mixture consisting of two parts, by bulk, of rotted upland peat and one 
part of sand. 

7. Cover the frame with muslin or other white shade suspended above- 
the glass, giving the plants plenty of light but no direct sunlight, and 




Fig. 103. New shoots on a stumped Blueberry. The three shoots shown grew aft^r 
the plant had been cut to the stump. Their white color at the base indicates the- 
depth of the propagating bed through which they forced their way and from which ther 
plant was taken to be photographed. Roots had already begun to develop. Usedthrouga 
the courtesy of Dr. F. V. Coville of the United States Department of Agriculture 



TREE AND SHRUB LIST 



175 



VACCINItnVI— Continued 




Fig. 104. Tubered Blueberry Cutting with young sprouts developing. Used through 
the courtesy of Dr. F. V. Coville of the United States Department of Agriculture 



for the first two or three months keep the temperature at not to exceed 
65 degrees F. if practicable. When subjected to high temperatures the 
newly cut shoots are liable to die and rot from the base upward. The 
outer surface of the pots should never be allowed to become dry. The 
desired condition may be assured by bedding, or "plunging," the pots 
in moist sand up to the rim, 

8. Watering should be as infrequent as practicable, only sufficient to 
keep the soil moist but well aerated. 

9. The frame should receive ventilation, but not enough to cause 
the new twigs to drop. These are most susceptible to over-ventilat'on 
and to over-heating when they have nearly completed their growth, 

10. After the new twigs have stopped growing and their wood becomes 
hard, new root growth takes place. Then secondary twig growth 
follows, either from the apex of the new twigs or from another bud 
lower down on the old wood of the original rooted shoot. Until this 
secondary twig growth takes place the life of the plant is not assured. 

11. Those plants that make sufficient growth to require repotting 
during the first Summer should be set in clean pots of two inches larger 
diameter in a standard Blueberry-soil mixture. 

Soil Mixture for Blueberries. Use "one part of clean or washed 
sand, nine parts of rotted upland peat, either chopped or rubbed 
through a sieve, and three parts of clean, broken crocks, or flower 
pots. No loam and especially no lime should be used. Manure 
is not necessary. The peat most successfully used for potting 
Blueberry plants is an upland peat procured in Kalmia, or Laurel, 
thickets. Oak leaves raked, stacked, and rotted for about eighteen 
months without lime or manure are also good." 

TuBERiNG. Cuttings by ordinary methods have been seldom rooted. 
Tubering is a method by which new shoots are forced in such a 
way that their basal portions are much like scaly root stocks stem. 



176 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



VACCINIUM — Continued 

Cuttings are taken from outdoor plants between midwinter and early- 
Spring, before the buds have begun to make their Spring growth. 

The cuttings are placed horizontally in a shallow box or other cutting 
bed of pure clean sand and covered to the depth of about half an inch. 




Fig. 105. Tubered Blueberry cutting with sprouts rooting at the base. The sprout 
at the left in figure 104 had emerged from the sand and begun to develop green leaves 
above the surface. The sprout near the center of figure 104 is younger, the whole of 
it still in the rootstock stage. The two sprouts in figure 105 are developing roots on 
their lower parts, above the dying wood of the old cutting and beneath the surface of 
the^cutting bed. Used through the courtesy of Dr. F. V. Coville of the United States 

Department of Agriculture 

Within a few weeks new growth will begin to appear above the 
sand. (See fig. 104.) When the shoots have reached a length pro- 
portionate to their vigor, commonly one to three inches, their further 
growth is self-terminated by the death of the tip. After the leaves 
have reached their full size and acquired the dark-green color of ma- 
turity the time has come for the development of roots. 

When a shoot is well rooted, with roots one to two inches in length, 
it is ready to be potted. If the shoot has not already disconnected itself 
from the dead cutting, it should be carefully severed with a sharp knife. 
In the process of tubering, the behavior of the cuttings is essentially 
identical with that of real tubers, like those of the potato. The original 
cutting dies, but the sprouts that arose from it root at the base and 
form independent plants. 



TREE AND SHRUB LIST 177 

VIBURNUM. Includes Snowball. High Bush Cranberry. 

Seeds. Wash free from pulp; sown in Autumn or mix with dry sand; 

keep in a cool place and sow in Spring. 
Cuttings. Soft wood in Summer root readily. Hard wood cuttings 

are easily rooted. 
Layers. Early Summer. 

VITEX. Chaste Tree. Hemp Bush. 
Seeds. Freely produced. 

Cuttings. Soft or hard wood; the hard wood cuttings may set in a 
protected place in the Autumn. 

VITIS. Grape. 

Seeds. Rarely come true to type but for raising seedlin-^s of' new 
varieties, the seeds are removed from the pulp and stored in moist 
sand until Spring when they may be sown in flats or in the open soil. 
Except for the tender types, the seeds may benefit by being frozen 
during the Winter. 

Cuttings. Single eye cuttings may be used when wood is scarce, 
or valuable. A small piece of wood should be left on each side of 
the eye so that the cutting is about one and a half inches long. 
These cuttings are made in February from wood stored through the 
Winter in a cool cellar. They are placed in propagating bench 
with slight bottom heat. The best wood for use in making cuttings 
is that which is rather short jointed. The most common type of 
cutting, however, is five to seven inches long, made in the Autumn and 
stored in a sandy soil out of doors or in a cool cellar. They are 
placed up-side down to hasten the callus. In the Spring the 
cuttings are set in the nursery row. 

Grafting. Grapes are grafted in earliest Spring or Autumn. The 
soil around the plants is removed and the cion is inserted beneath 
the soil. Merely tie with raffia. If grafting has been neglected 
until the sap flows, the stocks may be grafted after the buds burst. 
This will eliminate the excess bleeding. The European Grape is 
usually grafted on American stocks because of its susceptibility to 
root louse injury. After grafting very early in Spring or in Autumn 
Mr. Fuller* suggests protecting the cion from frost by covering 
with an inverted flower pot and straw. 

Layers. The simplest method of propagating is by continuous 
layers. Bend down a cane and cover a few inches deep with soil. 
Nearly all the nodes will root. Practiced in Autumn or Spring. 

WISTARIA. (Also speUed Wisteria.) 

Seeds. Grow readily but do not reproduce varieties. 

Cuttings. Ripened wood rooted under glass. 

Root Cuttings. One inch or more long. 

Layers. Easily rooted. 

Grafting. Horticultural varieties grafted on W. frutescens. 

XANTHOCERAS. 

Seeds. Few produced but usually all grow if sown in greenhouse. 
Root Cuttings. Roots cut into three inch pieces in Autumn and 

stored in sand until February, then placed where they may start 

into growth with a light bottom heat. 

* Fuller. A. S.— Grape Culturist. 



178 



COMMERCIAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



XANTHORRHIZA. Shrubby YeUow-Root. (Also spelled Zanthorr- 
hiza.) 
Seeds. Sown in Autumn or early Spring. Seedlings are weak when 

young. 
Root Divisions. In Autumn or Early Spring. 

XANTHOXYLUM. Prickly Ash. Toothache Tree. (Also spelled 
Zanthoxylum.) 
Root Cuttings. Easiest method. 

YUCCA. 

Root Cuttings. Cut up thick roots into two inch pieces, place one 
to two inches deep. 




CHAPTER IX 

BOOK LIST 

The following books will prove of use to supplement the brief 
discussion of the propagation of plants found in the present 
volume. 

Bailey, Liberty H. 1913. The Nursery-Book. A complete guide 
to the multiplication of plants. 

Bailey, Liberty H. 1914-1917. Standard Cyclopedia of Horticul- 
ture. Six volumes. 
-Balfour, I. Bayley. 1913. Prorlems of Propagation. Journal of 
Royal Horticultural Society. Vol. XXXVHI, part HI, pp. 447-461. 

Baltet, Charles. 1910. The Art of Grafting and Budding. 
Brown, B. S. 1916. Modern Propagation of Tree Fruits. 
Budd, J, L. and Hansen, N. E. 1902. American Horticultural 

Manual. Part L 
Gorbett, L. G. 1909. The Propagation of Plants. U. S. D. A., 

Farmers' Bull. No. 157. 
Goville, Frederick V. 1916. Directions for Blueberry Culture. 

U. S. D. A. Professional Paper Bull. No. 334, pp. 3-13. 

Craig, William N. 1917. Seed Sowing Suggestions. Transactions 
of Mass. Hort. Society for the year 1917, Part I, pp. 15-29. 

V FuUer, Andrew S. 1887. Propagation of Plants, giving the 
principles which govern the development and growth of plants, their 
botanical affinities and peculiar properties; also descriptions of the 
process by which varieties and species are crossed or hybridized, and 
the many different methods by which cultivated plants may be 
propagated and multiplied. 

Fuller, Andrew S. 1894. Grape Culturist. A treatise on the 
cultivation of the modern Grape. 

Galloway, Beverly T. 1914. Commercial Violet Culture. 

Hansen, N. E. (See Budd, J. L.) 

Hedrick, U. P. 1915. The Gherries of New York. 

Hedrick, U. P. 1911. The Plums of New York. 

Holmes, Eber. 1911. Commercial Rose Culture, pp. 24-55. 

Hottes, Alfred C. 1916. Gladiolus Studies H — Culture and Hy- 
bridization of the Gladiolus. Cornell Extension Bull. 10. 

Howard, W. L. 1905. Propagating Trees and Plants. Simple 
directions for propagating many of the common fruits of orchard and 
garden. 

179 



180 BOOK LIST 

Howard, W. L. 1910. Plant Propagation. Missouri State Board 
of Horticulture. Fourth Annual Report, pp. 177-216. 

Jenkins, J. 1886. Art of Propagation. A handbook for nursery- 
men, florists, gardeners and everybody. 

Kains, M. G. 1916. Plant Propagation. Greenhouse and Nursery 
Practice. 

Meehan, Joseph. Nursery notes in Florists' Exchange. 

de Muelder, Fred. 1915. Planting and Culture of Hyacinths 
FOR Propagation. Florists' Exchange, April 17. 

Mulford, F. L. 1916. Roses for the Home. U. S. D. A. Farmers' 
Bull. No. 750. 

Oliver, George W. 1911. The Seedling-inarch and Nurse-plant 
Methods of Plant Propagation. U. S. D. A. Bur. of Plant 
Industry, Bull. No. 202. 

Oliver, George W. Plant Culture. Revised issue early in 1918. A 
working hand-book of every day practice for all who grow flower- 
ing and ornamental plants in the garden and greenhouse. 

Thompson, Charles H. 1912. Ornamental Cacti: Their culture and 
decorative value. U. S. D. A. Bur. of PI. Industry, BuU. No. 262. 

Trillow, Wilham. 1912. Propagation of Shrubs. Proceedings of 
the Society of Iowa Florists, pp. 75-80. 

Webster, P. J. 1916. Plant Propagation in the Tropics. Bur. 
of Agr., Philippine Is., Bull., No. 32. 

White, Edward A. 1915. Principles of Floriculture. 




•!•*- 







The first edition was an unusually large one for 
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SECOND EDITION 

Practical Landscape 
Gardening 

By ROBERT B. CRIDLAND 

Landscape architect of more than twenty 

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DESCRIPTION OF CHAPTER ILLUSTRATIONS 

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